Chasing Vermilion
by VampireNinja96
Summary: When Itachi joins the Akatsuki, he receives the shock of his life, a precocious pupil named Kana. Soon an unbreakable bond is forged between them and not even Itachi's death can stop his legacy from dissolving. And for the battle that is to come, his legacy will need to stand and fight for the cause that she believes in.
1. Chapter 1 Moon God Boy

Hello reader! I hope you will enjoy reading Chasing Vermilion. It's going to be roughly in two sections; the first will have Itachi alive, the second not! Most of it is canon, a few alterations here and there, and I've tried to make the characters as close to their personalities in canon as possible. I hope you like my OC, too.

Anyway, see you at the bottom!

**Chapter 1- Moon God Boy**

The Mountain country slept underneath the falling sun, the shadows making gradually changing shapes on the rocky ground, which was glistening slightly after the sudden downpour earlier that day. Most of the animals had retreated to their hiding places for the night, leaving only the nocturnal creatures to create the intermittent noises which made one young man's ears twitch in acknowledgment and awareness every so often.

Itachi Uchiha was sat on a rock, his head bent, giving the idea that he was rather intrigued at his fingernails. On one finger was the ring that was given to him by a detestable man just a few hours ago. The symbol, 'shu' glinted when facing directly with the sinking sun, causing Itachi to glance at it intermittently with his dark, hollow eyes. Itachi noticed after a time that the sun had now lost its battle, and the moon had taken over to govern the night time. At this time, he finally got to his feet, not taking his eyes off the moon. It reminded him of the jutsu he developed not too long ago- the Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi was deadly. He would only use it as a last resort. He didn't want to have to endure what he had done some hours ago again unless he had to. Last night was… the worst night of his existence.

Oh, last night.

Itachi closed his eyes. The focal point of his entire life, the Hidden leaf village, was currently in disarray after he committed an unforgivable felony: the murder of his fellow clansmen. His mother, his father, his friends, his lover, all gone in a few horrifying flashes of his kunai. He tried telling himself it was for the good of the village, and, essentially, it was, but Itachi couldn't help but bitterly wish it could have been done another way, a way that didn't involve leaving his little brother, Sasuke, alone in the Uchiha compound, crying with fright, a way that didn't involve forcing his brother to believe that _he_ was the criminal. This way was brutal, radical, but now it was out of his control. He had calculated everything to happen on his terms that night- he had engineered his brother's personality, and got his hands dirty for everyone's sake. He had to acknowledge that he felt like a monster.

Still, it was done now. But what had he gotten himself into? He had joined the Akatsuki, to keep an eye on it, but what now? What if he couldn't hinder, if not halt their plans to achieve their warped idea of peace? This was a titanic task.

He brushed one hand faintly over the cut he had received on his arm from a kunai. The slit had finally ceased to bleed, but the emotional cuts would run far deeper. The desolate abyss in Itachi's eyes was the last thing anyone in the clan witnessed.

He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head quickly. _Stop it, _he stated to himself, _Just stop it._

"I should not dwell on the past… right now, I must simply carry out my duty," he breathed to himself, and he opened his eyes. Moments later, he blanched in shock.

"Itachi… good work. The leaf Shinobi would not bother to pursue you all the way to the Mountain country, would they?" A man wearing an orange mask which covered up his entire face, apart from one eye, stood before Itachi, his arms folded. His tone of voice held a natural authority. It was a voice that sounded ominous, sinister, but frank and truthful all the same. It made Itachi's skin crawl.  
_Madara Uchiha… _he sighed internally. _Or, whoever the hell you are..._

"So you caught up to me, even though I fled this far out… your jutsu is impressive, Madara…" Itachi said tonelessly, trying to avoid Madara's deadly scrutiny, lest it drag even him into a genjutsu. This would have to be Itachi's persona from now on: emotionless, bored and, as much as he hated to think it, someone who would be proud of his crime. He'd have to say goodbye to his old ways. This would work- Itachi was a brilliant actor. This façade would fool even Madara's lethal gaze.

"Do not patronise me, Itachi," Madara said dangerously. "You are a member of the Akatsuki now. Watch your tongue. If you have nothing useful to say, stay silent. You need your robe now."

Madara tossed a folded piece of fabric into Itachi's waiting hands. Itachi unfolded it, and saw that it was a long, dark cloak, with a red cloud pattern embossed on it several times. It was the Akatsuki symbol, representing the blood that rained down on the villages in times of war. How fitting that he should wear such an item.

"Forgive me…" Itachi muttered, and began to remove his ANBU vest and sheathed sword. Putting the cloak on was like putting his new life on, his new beginning. At this very moment, every citizen in the village hated him. Even little Sasuke, who right now was probably one of the loneliest and most frightened children in the Leaf.

"What happens now? We have made the deal. You cannot touch the Leaf village while I am still alive, under the conditions of our agreement. I let you get your revenge on the Uchiha for betraying you all those years ago… and so have fulfilled my half of the deal," Itachi reminded him, still avoiding eye contact.

"Now you must work under me in the Akatsuki. Your partner is yet to have been decided. Just come with me. You need to introduce yourself to the rest of the organisation," Madara turned round and began to walk. "Also… none of them really know who I am. They are under the impression that I am Tobi, a buffoon who fools around, someone who _hopes _become an official member. You are one of the few who know otherwise, and I should like to keep it that way, Itachi."

Itachi nodded, buttoning up the top of the cloak.

"Shall we get going then?" Madara suggested impatiently, for Itachi had begun to stare in absence up at the full moon, reflecting on his actions. Finally, he lowered his head and took a deep breath in.

"Yeah."

OOO

"Welcome, Itachi," Leader said, "Contribute well to this organisation, or we will find a replacement for you."

"Yes, I understand…" Itachi nodded. Leader was simply a projection of his real self. The real Leader was miles and miles away with his partner. Itachi found it strange, talking to a mere image, but was too occupied with the current situation to care that much.

"Meet Orochimaru, Zetsu, Kakuzu, Kisame Hoshigaki and Sasori of the red sand, the ones who could make it all the way here to greet you, Itachi," Leader gestured towards the real group of men who stood before Itachi. None of them looked human. They were all monsters, too.

These were the men who would do anything to gain power or immortality, going so far as to mutilate their own bodies and kill countless people in order to obtain it. Itachi felt a little out of place, physically. He nodded in acknowledgement of their presence.

"A little young, isn't he? How old is he? He is just a child- thirteen or fourteen? Are you sure he is that powerful?" Zetsu asked sceptically.

"Hold your tongue, White Zetsu. This child is the genius of the leaf village's Uchiha clan, the rest of which he wiped out in a single night," Madara said, possibly by means of threatening Zetsu.

"I see. Well, he'd better not hold us old people back." White Zetsu nudged his elbow towards Orochimaru, who hissed in distaste.

Zetsu looked a bit like a giant plant, with a man spearing out of the middle. His right half was black, and his left half white, and, strangely, only the white half was smiling. The black half wore a grotesque scowl. Kisame was blue, and his hair was shaped like a dorsal fin atop his head, and he had gills on his neck. He carried a giant sword covered in bandages. Sasori was just a wooden puppet, presumably with his true form inside, and Kakuzu covered half his face up with a mask, the only visible part being his green and red eyes. Orochimaru was the one who looked the most human, having no obvious features that made him look like a monster in his own right. His slightly serpentine appearance, however, perturbed Itachi a little, every time he saw it.

_From now on… I need to play it by ear. I'm only here to delay their plans, thus protecting the village and protecting Sasuke, but I need to play my part so that they don't suspect me. I cannot afford any mistakes, especially not in front of Madara. And I cannot let the rest of Akatsuki know that I know Tobi's actually Madara in disguise. The world thinks that he is a dead man; I can't change that._

Itachi was distracted from the disorder of his thoughts by Leader, who cleared his throat. Everyone looked up at his projection, with serious faces. (Except 'white' Zetsu, who was still smiling with a slightly deranged look about him.)

"I have a new goal for Akatsuki. No more small stunts; they were simply a method of obtaining financial stability to sustain ourselves. Now the real work begins. Now we embark on the road to force power onto the world. The power of the tailed beasts," Leader began.

Itachi was puzzled by the violent nature of this goal- it would never achieve peace, as Madara had said to him once. He wondered… What were the Leader's true intentions?

"By tailed beasts, you mean the spirits of nine-tailed fox, the Shukaku, and so on, am I right?" Orochimaru asked for confirmation.

"Yes, that's it. Each team will be assigned a quota to complete- either gathering information or gathering tailed beasts. Failure will not be tolerated. I know some of you are here only to satisfy your own personal wishes, however while you are a part of this procedure, I wish to have your full cooperation. Once my goal is achieved, yours will be easily achieved as well."

"I hope so, I truly do…" Orochimaru said sinisterly, a small glint appearing in his eyes as he fondly contemplated his dream. Itachi narrowed his eyes. Orochimaru… The man who had fled the Leaf because of the discovery of his inhumane experimentations. Experimentations to learn every jutsu in the world, to gain every kekkei genkai and to become immortal. Itachi knew all about Orochimaru's terrible deeds.

"Your orders will be given to you at noon tomorrow. Carry them out with maximum diligence, and do not disappoint me," Leader pressed with a manner of great urgency, and he was attempting to control himself.

"I will not, Leader-sama," said the one called Sasori from inside his puppet.

"I'll be sure to do whatever task is given to me," Kisame agreed, his white shark-like teeth showing.

"Yep, I'll do whatever you say!" Madara said cheerily, in the goofy, bright persona of Tobi the assistant.

"Very well then. I will let you be on your way. Prepare to receive your orders at noon."

Itachi nodded, and left the place on his own, looking at the floor.

"What am I doing?" he murmured to himself, once again eyeing his new ring. He sighed and folded his arms in deep thought_. I wonder how Sasuke is doing. I hope he is alright. The Third promised he would watch over Sasuke, but… what if even the Third's guidance can't keep Sasuke from danger? Maybe I am worrying too much. Sasuke is strong; I'm sure he can get through whatever life throws at him._

"Itachi!" Madara's 'Tobi' voice cold be heard and he bounded towards Itachi. "You're coming with me…"

Itachi swallowed hard, but kept his cool. No must know his true purpose in joining the Akatsuki. Not ever.

OOO

"Poor Itachi, he's only thirteen. Still, he must have a heart of stone to kill his own parents like that," White Zetsu said. "His mind must be completely warped."

Sasori raised his eyebrows from inside his puppet. "I wiped out a whole nation with my expertise in puppetry."

"I murdered a feudal lord, and killed my own team mates," Kisame said, nodding. "They were going to betray my village and give information to the enemy. Killing them wasn't the least understandable thing I could do."

"But still!" Whit Zetsu protested. "A thirteen-year-old kid! I do not know how he could kill his own family like that! Heartless!"

"Age does not determine strength, not necessarily," Orochimaru hissed

"And you are forgetting that he could not kill his little brother…" Black Zetsu reminded him, "There's something not right about that part…"

"You worry too much."

"Shut up. Why do I have to be partnered with someone as irritating as you?"

"It's because we are the same person, dimwit."

"No, you're the dimwit, White."

"If I am a dimwit, then you are too…"

"Shut up!"

"Would you be quiet?" Kakuzu shouted, "If you don't shut your mouth, I'll kill you!"

"Give that a rest, already!"

OOO

Gradually, the night sky was receding. The stars could no longer be seen and the sky had adopted a pinkish hue, looking like something out of a water colour painting. It was too tranquil, too perfect. Itachi thought so, anyway. He had the hollow look of a young man with a terrible crime and a terrible responsibility resting his shoulders. To Itachi, everything should be black and unadorned, to match his mood. If he was going down, he'd want to drag everything else to his level of obscurity and leave the Leaf village in the light.

"Itachi… we'd better get going," Madara pressed.

"Yeah. I'm coming…"

Itachi breathed in slowly as he began to walk. A passing breeze blew his cloak so that it flapped around his legs, and the sky lit up as the sun slowly began to rise.

* * *

Thank you for reading! (I wrote this a couple of years ago, haha, so I hope it didn't sound too bad XD)

Please review, it only takes a minute!


	2. Chapter 2 Awakening

Hi guys! This is a chapter introducing my new character, Kana, a normally cheerful, cheeky little girl whose life gets turned upside down in the space of a few minutes, which shakes her confidence. I've written this in a slightly more simple way because it is in the eyes of an eight year old. Enjoy and review please!

Chapter 2- Awakening

It was raining that morning. It came down in torrents like a waterfall, causing slight floods to begin in the small valleys of the Mountain country. In one of the valleys was the village of Carpenters. The Village of Carpenters was completely burnt to the ground, and dead bodies were scattered everywhere. At least the fires had been doused by the downpour. It looked like a complete wreck and every creature had abandoned the area. No sound could be heard for miles around, except the small, scared voice of a young girl.

Only one child had survived the Carpenter village massacre, an eight year old by the name of Kana.

Kana wandered the ruined streets, with a small raven on her shoulder.

"Oh, Genna, what do I do? It's freezing…" Kana mumbled, holding the rag securely round herself so that it did not blow away in the icy wind. The raven cawed several times, seeming very aware of what she had said.

"I know I need to find some food, but it's easier said than done. The village is history, you know that. We're the only ones left…" she said solemnly, and hung her head. The raven cocked his head.

_It's not like you to be this put out, Kan_a, Genna said, through their mental connection; for as long as Kana could remember, she'd had a knack with birds.

"My family just got blown to bits in front of me!" Kana cried, trying to brush Genna off her shoulders, who vigorously protested. "You'd be put out too if you were this starving and all your family was dead."

_Sorry… I was thoughtless._

"It's okay. I wouldn't really expect you to understand. You're a raven. It was the stupid ninja! I hate them! They use our village as a battle ground and then kill our people for food!"

_Get over that… it doesn't matter. _You_ need to find some food._

The winded gusted relentlessly, making Kana screw her eyes up, and struggle to hold the thing rag around her body. Genna also had a hard time keeping atop her shoulder. Kana bowed her head. She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for the events of last night. Last night had been the worst night of her existence.

Kana sniffed in resentment as she ran through the events in her mind.

OOO

"Mama!" Kana cried, running in through her front door with an immature grin on her face. Her black hair, which matched her black eyes, was tied in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, and she was wearing the new plain tunic she was given for her birthday. A piece of rope was tied in a knot around her waist to give it some shape. She politely took off her sandals, and her toes curled into the dusty floor in eager anticipation.

"When does Papa get home?" she asked excitedly, bouncing up and down. "I want my new sword!"

Kana had asked for a wooden sword for her birthday, and she had been so excited about receiving it that she could barely think about anything else for days. Kana whipped her head around the sliding door to find her mother sat down at the kitchen table, smiling at her.

"Your father will be home soon, Kana. Now, I need to make something for dinner, so please go outside again. You could play with Tami? Or maybe Daichi? You haven't played with anyone in a while now."

"I don't like people!" Kana said stubbornly, and poked her tongue out. "Genna is much more fun!"

"Oh, your pet raven?"

"He's not a pet. He's my partner through thick and thin!" Kana insisted defiantly. "Genna told me the other day that he doesn't want to be inferior to me, he wants to be my equal, so I told him yes."

Kana's mother nodded, humouring her precocious daughter. Kana's grin turned into a hurt frown. She pouted her lips and folded her arms.

"I told you it's all true. I can talk to the birdies, and they play with me in the streets!" Kana cried. How could her mother not believe her? Her mother was the most perfect person ever, so why? No-one would believe that she could talk to the birds.

Kana turned around and shuffled away, a shadow passing briefly over her face.

OOO

Four hours later, Kana was playing outside with Genna, happy once again. She had untied the rope on her tunic and tossed on the ground, having considered it a burden. Grazes covered her knees and elbows and there was mud on her face.

_Kana… you are filthy. Be relieved that Mama is not here to see you!_ Genna said sternly.

"You boring bird! I don't need mother. She is mean and doesn't believe me about the birds!" Kana snapped, and sat down on the ground. Her attention quickly moved to the darkening sky. "It's getting dark. Do you think we should go in?"

Kana's thoughts were cut short by a blood-curdling noise.

"What was that?" Kana hissed. A scream could be heard in the distance, piercing the tranquil evening like a dagger and eating through to the centre of Kana's soul. More screams, and the sound of blades clashing, time and time again. The screams rose in intensity, and Kana thought, and it seemed ridiculous, that she heard splashing water, and saw flashing lightning. How silly- there were no rivers and the sky was completely clear, save for the full, round moon. Crashes and bangs and clatters filled the air, and Kana wrinkled her nose in disgust. She smelled smoke. And with smoke came…

"Fire! We need to go back Genna, and fast! Mama and Papa are still at home. They might need my help!"

Genna nodded, and transformed. Suddenly, a giant version of him was stood in front of Kana, cawing urgently. He flapped his wings about and nodded his head. Kana nodded in return and leapt onto his back. Genna took flight.  
Seeing the village at an aerial view was shocking- she couldn't be sure, but it really did look like a war site, the kind of thing her father had described to her once.

Kana jumped down from Genna, who morphed back into his smaller form. She stared in horror at the sights around her. Blood was splattered all over the streets, and shuriken and kunai knives protruded from door frames and walls. There were small fires all over the place, and walls of earth and rivers of mud and puddles of water and collapsed roofs and doors hanging off their hinges. Kana slapped her hand to her mouth. How could this have happened so quickly? By the looks of it, everyone had put up a real fight. She hadn't noticed before, but while they were flying, the piercing screams she heard must have been the last of the survivors, in their final moments. There was no-one left.

"Mother!" Kana shrieked, her voice shooting up an octave. "Mama, where are you! Please!" She dashed into her front door and whipped around the house.

"Kana…?"

She looked up. That was mother's voice! It was weak and scared, but still mother. Kana ran into her mother's bedroom, ignoring the bodies. Mama was curled in a ball in the corner, looking terrified.

"Kana… run away. There are still some ninja around here, scavenging. Please run, or you'll be killed by those awful ninja. Leave me behind!" her mother whispered in ragged breathing.

"W-where's father?" Kana said shakily. She edged closer to her mother, and grabbed her hand.

"Just… go, Kana," her mother muttered, a single tear falling down her pink cheek.

"No! I won't leave you, even if you are mean and horrible and won't believe me about the birds. I will never leave you!" Kana turned her head towards the other end of the room, and shrieked with fear.  
Father's body lay in an unnatural position in the other corner. It was lying on its front, the head lurched backwards and the hand yearning forward, gripping a knife covered in blood.

"Father! What happened. Mama, I don't understand!"

"Go, Kana!" her mother pushed her away desperately.

A creak down stairs made a terrified Kana jump out of her skin. Creak after creak, getting closer and closer towards them. The sound of heavy boots on wood accompanied it, and the sound of a man unsheathing his blade followed. Then he cracked his knuckles, and gave a short laugh.

"Anyone here?" he asked innocently. Kana froze. "I know there's someone here. I can feel your presence. Come out now, come on."

Kana's mother grabbed her daughter and went for the window. It would be better to escape now, while they had the chance. As they edged carefully towards the window, Kana was yanked out of her mother's clutches.

"Body flicker technique. Genius…" the ninja muttered to himself. He threw Kana to the floor, and she felt her wrist break when she landed on it. She didn't scream this time- the pain seemed dull.

"Give my daughter back!" her mother screamed. But the ninja did not answer.

"Where is the Hidden Heat Haze village? We know it's in this country, but is it near here?" he demanded.

"It was destroyed, years ago, I swear!" she cried. "Just don't hurt Kana!"

"Okay. Fair enough. She didn't do anything wrong."

The ninja relaxed his grasp, but then surprised everyone. He firmed the grip on his kunai and drove it right into Kana's mother's neck.  
She felt rage building up in her mind, like all her fury and fear and terror had been shoved in a pot and set to boiling.

She felt something alter inside her, and she opened her blood red eyes.

OOO

OOO

_Kana, snap out of it! Pull yourself together, kid!_ Genna urged her. She had sat down on the ground and was shaking. Those horrible, evil ninja…

"I know, I just… I remembered mama and how she screamed, and that ninja… but how did I survive? All I remember is that he killed her, and then I felt so angry, and when I woke up, he was dead too!" she whispered.

_That doesn't matter anymore. Do you want to die, or what?_ Genna said impatiently. He nipped the edge of her ear in frustration.

"But did I kill him?" Kana suddenly panicked, trying to remember whether she had or not. She gulped and tears sprang up. "I'm scared, Genna… Was that the right thing to do?"

"You are all alone now, aren't you?"

Kana froze. A voice sent shivers down her spine. It was a man. She looked up to see a man in a cloak, with gloves on and an orange mask covering his face. He folded his arms and stood overbearingly over her. The one eye that she could see was staring right into her own. The eye was black, but it suddenly turned to red, with small black teardrop shapes around the pupil. She squirmed uncomfortably as she recognised that pattern from somewhere, though she couldn't quite recall where. His cloak had a red cloud pattern on it, and the collar was oversized and covered up his neck. The masked man cleared his throat and started walking slowly towards her, never unfolding his arms and never averting his intense gaze.

"W-who are you?" she demanded, acting as brave as she could. She would not run. Kana did not back away. She vainly yearned that the man would offer her something to eat, but from the way he was standing, she highly doubted it.

Genna cawed in hostility, and flapped his wings, as if he were telling Madara to 'get lost' and leave them alone, but Genna was alone in this wish.

"I am someone who will give you a use in life. I will give you power and in return you will serve to achieve my ideals," he said evenly.

"What?" she said stupidly. Who was this guy? He spoke in a calm, collected tone, but it was cold and scary. He spoke slowly, but used long words in strange combinations that confused her even more.

"Come with me and I will make you useful, and I will teach you to control yourself. You have a great deal of raw power. Totally untrained as you are, you are just a liability to this planet, but in terms of achieving my goals, you will be very useful in the future."

"Raw power? What are you talking about? Can you just give me some… some… food, and… please? I'm hungry. I don't want to go with you, I just want to… I don't know…" Kana stuttered, struggling greatly to find the words. Going with this guy, whoever he was, promised that she would have the power to defend herself against mean ninja, but she childishly hoped to be left alone so she could sit and wish that everything would snap back into the way it was before.

"This isn't optional. Your powers will be of great use to me. You are coming with me."

Kana considered him for a moment. This man… just by a single word, or a single sentence, she got shaken, or she got scared. The magnitude of his presence was overwhelming. But if he could give her food, and help her to defend herself, with her 'special power', maybe it wouldn't be too bad to go. If she went, maybe she could learn how to bring her mother back, do something amazing like that…

"Um, okay."

"Fine then, come with me."

He turned around and began to walk swiftly up the street.

"By the way mister… who are you? I'm Kana. Just Kana!" she said nervously, her voice coming out in a high-pitched trill. He did not answer. "Mister!" she pressed, tempted to tap him on the back, or tug his cloak.

"That doesn't concern you. Just follow me and stay nice and quiet."

Genna pecked her, and looked her in the eye like he was trying to say something to her.

_I'm sick of this. I'm out of here. You are just getting into trouble, going off with this guy…_

"But, Genna… I don't have a choice," she protested.

_I only hung around with you because you had no one else to rely on. Now you have someone, I am of no use to you. See ya._

He suddenly launched himself from her shoulder and flew off. Kana tried to grab him as he took off, but she was far too slow.

"Hey, Genna! Don't go!" she cried. Madara watched in mild interest. "He's gone, he's had enough and left me…" she mumbled.

"Whatever. We need to get on."

"But- Genna-"

"Raven's aren't domesticated. If it wanted to leave, it was going to. You had no power to stop it." Kana swallowed hard, trying to get over her loss. That was it… Genna had gone for good.

She frowned, and after taking one last look at the village ruins behind her, began to trail after him.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Review ;)


	3. Chapter 3 Itachi-Sensei

Hi! Thank you to the people who have reviewed so far! I'm so grateful for your support. Now, we're going to refer to the masked man as Madara from now on, because at this time, Itachi believed there was no other explanation as to who he was. Okay, so on with chapter 3...

**Chapter 3- Itachi-sensei**

Inside a small cave, Itachi sat, evading the sunlight. It was nearly noon, nearly time for his orders. Maybe, if it was tailed beast hunting, he could delay their plans a little. He sat in the darkest corner he could find, and leant his face on his hand, and stared at the cave floor. Itachi knew that darkness was the most suitable place for him: he deserved nothing better than to remain in the dark. Bats hung upside-down from the few stalactites on the ceiling, occasionally moving spots to somewhere away from the beam of sunlight which streamed in at a direct angle through the middle of the cave. Itachi found that he could easily relate to the bats and the way that they dodged the light, determined to punish themselves with darkness.

"Itachi… stop hiding. Come out and meet your new assignment."

Itachi didn't bother to look up to see who it was, standing outside his hiding place. Ignoring Madara (because he recognised that awful voice instantaneously after hearing it), Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. Madara knew Itachi had heard his voice, and tutted impatiently.

A few moments later, Madara appeared beside Itachi. He came gradually; the air had started to distort into a spiral, centring around one point. The air seemed to stretch, and at the central point in space, the orange of Madara's mask worked itself into the spiral. Eventually, the whole of his body travelled into the spiral and the air stopped twisting, and Madara could fully be seen. This jutsu never failed to spark Itachi's interest, and his wariness. He thought that it must be a special space-time ninjutsu that only Madara knew.

"Madara?" Itachi asked tonelessly, not looking up, not daring to meet Madara's gaze.

"Young Uchiha, I have a little project for you. She's standing outside," he told Itachi, who, after hearing this, finally raised his head. "Her name is Kana, and it seems she has a particular power. I sensed it. Her chakra is exceptionally potent for someone who has never even heard of the ninja arts."

"What has that got to do with me?" Itachi asked, restraining himself from being ruder.

"This power of hers would be well-suited to helping us seal the tailed beasts when we finally reach that juncture. Sealing the tailed beasts requires a tremendous amount of chakra from all of us at once. It would make the process quicker and easier if her controlled power could be used."

"Where is this going?" Itachi said, narrowing his eyes, although he knew precisely where this was going. And he didn't like the sound of it. Nevertheless, if Itachi was going to pull this act off for another few years, he was going to have to give to his end of the bargain.

"Just come and see her. She's waiting."

"Fine."

Itachi slowly got up, nodding, his face a blank canvas with no hint of feeling. The sunlight hurt his eyes. It didn't help that using his Mangekyou Sharingan had exhausted a lot of his chakra and put his eyes in quite a bit of pain anyway.

The girl was stood up very straight, eager to please. He looked for a moment, and had to blink twice. She looked very much like Sasuke, with the dark hair and the inky eyes. Though surprised, Itachi would not let this shock become visible. This girl was probably about the same age as Sasuke as well. Was this some kind of cruel trick by Madara? Was he trying to ruin him?

"He doesn't seem to be too bad," she whispered.

"Kana!" Madara barked.

"I'm here!"

"Itachi is going to train you now. You're going to be a ninja."

She froze and the innocent look on her face vanished. It warped into an expression of pain, and her eyes moved down to face the bottom left of their sockets. Biting her lip, she shut her eyes.

"I don't like ninja. They killed my mother and father and they burnt my village and took all our food," she said. Itachi frowned. The bitterness in her voice sounded like it came from someone much older. But then again, she had seen so much horror that she aged beyond her years.

"You don't have a choice. Do you want to be left alone to get lost, starve, be attacked and die?" Madara said, making Itachi angry. He knew he was manipulating her with ease, because then her fury died away and turned into submission.

"Okay. But he is still a kid himself!"

"No, he's not. He's not a kid. He's your sensei now, okay?"

Itachi sighed languidly. It looked like he didn't have a choice, either. This kid, this girl, had a power and he had to train her to control it. Somehow she was going to contribute to sealing the tailed beasts.

Itachi looked at the girl. She looked like an ordinary village girl. How could she possess something powerful enough for Madara to want to use her in his grand plan? Plus, he still couldn't shake that fact that she bore a stark resemblance to Sasuke.

"Itachi… it will take some time for the other members to gather the tailed beasts. Years. And during that time, you have to train this child to control her power, and to become a competent Shinobi."

Itachi turned round and walked up the road. "Fine," he said quietly, "Come with me…"

Madara nodded at Kana, who went to follow Itachi. Kana sighed quietly to herself.

As they were walking, Itachi did not say a word. This was because all he could see when he looked into her eyes was Sasuke, and the guilt of leaving Sasuke behind threatened to engulf him.

OOO

In an empty wasteland stood Itachi and his newest pupil, Kana. He looked at her up and down, as if he were judging her facility, then he unceremoniously dumped his pack and cloak on the dusty ground. He made no effort to help her too feel at ease around him. Itachi was already in enough of a bad mood.

"Where do we begin?" Itachi murmured quietly to himself, looking at his silent pupil. She stared at him with an inquisitive expression, a crease across her small brow. He thought back to the times when Sasuke would pester him to practise shuriken or clone techniques, and suddenly wished he had not declined his brother's requests. "I haven't had any indication of what I am supposed to be doing here, so… well, let's test out what you already know."

"Already know? I've never even done any ninja stuff before…" she said obstinately, folding her arms. "Can we start later?"

Itachi thought for a moment. Fine. "Alright then…"

Later, the sun was setting and finally, the training had begun.

"Ma- I mean Tobi said that you have a particularly strong chakra, so maybe we should start from there."

"Chakra? What's chakra?"

"Oh, boy…" Itachi muttered. He was going to have to elucidate everything, right from the start, to this girl. "Chakra is the energy we draw out from our bodies when we fight. It's like the foundation for all ninjutsu."

He sighed loudly at her confused expression. Itachi weaved the hand sign: tiger, and held his hand up so she could see. When he blew into a hole made by his fingers, a great ball of fire burst forth and shot into the distance. Kana nearly fainted from astonishment.

"That," Itachi said, coughing, "Is what we call a fire-style jutsu. It necessitates something called chakra to work. The hand sign I just made activated that chakra inside my body, and the end result was that fire-style jutsu."

"So, other techniques like that need this chakra thingy in order to activate… so, if you can't work the chakra inside of you, then you can't do ninjutsu?"

"Precisely." Itachi was surprised. She actually caught on quick. "You're going to learn how to tap into your chakra network. I think the first thing to do is to try and build up some chakra."

"Build- what?"

"Just imagine… there's a small blue light in the centre of your body, a little ball of chakra. Find it, deep inside of you, wanting to surge out. When you've found it, it will feel warm in the middle, near your heart. Then, you just bring it the surface. It might help if you weaved the tiger sign. It helps," he described. Itachi hated to concede that he quite enjoyed this teaching lark.

Kana mimicked Itachi's tiger sign, and closed her eyes, a look of intense, fierce concentration etched on her face.

"Hey, there's no need to look so agitated. You'll never draw out your chakra if you're all tense like that," Itachi reminded her. Kana calmed her face slightly, and breathed in deeply. Her knuckles were going white.

Suddenly, a blue flash enveloped them both. Chakra surged out in a torrent out of Kana's body and the shockwave sent Itachi flying. Luckily, he managed to stop himself from hitting the ground by using substitution jutsu just in time.

"What was that?" Kana asked incredulously. "What did I just do?"

"I think you need the learn how to control your massive chakra reserves, Kana…" Itachi muttered, brushing the dust off his mail vest. Kana giggled weakly, running her fingers through her hair.

"Sorry, Itachi-sensei, I'll try harder."

"Sensei?" he asked.

"Yeah. You're Itachi-sensei. The guy said so."

Itachi couldn't help but smile a little to himself.

Later that night, Itachi sat outside on night-watch, looking forlornly up at the skies while Kana lay sleeping peacefully by the campfire. She sucked her thumb in her sleep, and fidgeted quite a bit. Itachi believed this was her nervous energy. Who wouldn't have extra energy, with all that superfluous chakra flowing through them?

The poor kid. She'd been ripped out of her home and kidnapped by a strange man, and put into his own hands for training, into something she hated: a ninja. Her whole mind was disarrayed and chaotic. He could hazard a guess that normally she was lively and sunny; there had been small hints of this during the training.

She really did remind him of Sasuke, only Sasuke was far more mature than she was, for their age. Itachi thought to himself that he quite liked his precocious new pupil, only he could never, ever let her know, not if he was going to keep his true personality a secret. He had to stay loyal to the Akatsuki and not lose sight of his true goal in life, the one thing he wanted to achieve: to die at the hands of his little brother.

OOO

*A few months later*

"Wow Kana… you are really coming along. Your progress hardly requires any assistance once you've understood the basic concepts…" Itachi mused. Kana nodded in agreement, secretly feeling very proud of herself, and secretly bursting with admiration for her sensei.

Abruptly, Itachi received a familiar ringing in his ears. He sighed restlessly. Leader wanted to talk. Itachi concentrated his chakra and sent a projection of himself to Leader.

"How is your little project coming along?" Leader said a patronising way.

"Fine. Her progress is astonishing. I have taught her to control her chakra, to walk on water and we have done the tree-climbing exercise. Also, I have discovered that her chakra nature is lightning, and so we have been training in lightning style jutsu, such as lightning release shadow clones, and a form of the chidori," Itachi said in a toneless monologue. Kana watched Itachi's communication with awe. To her, it only looked like Itachi was closing his eyes and talking to himself.

"Really? She can use lightning release after only being a Shinobi for a few months? And to have that much chakra control already is indeed extraordinary. Tobi was right to put her in your hands, because clearly she has been flourishing," Leader said in mild surprise.

"When will she be off my case?" Itachi asked. Kana frowned.

"Oh, a while yet. We will not begin sealing the tailed beasts for another three years or so, so continue your training. You're going to be collecting the tailed beasts once Kana is trained."

"What? Okay…" Itachi muttered moodily.

"Yes, well. Deal with it."

Leader broke his connection and left Itachi. Itachi opened his eyes and glanced at Kana, who had folded her arms and wore an impressively grotesque scowl.

"What is it?" Itachi said wearily. He knew what it was. She had heard him ask when he would be free of her, and she didn't like it. Well, there was no use apologising. He meant it. Every day he was hit with the stark reminder of his younger brother in Kana. The dark eyes and hair, and now her enthusiasm for learning new jutsu and facts. She had really taken to being ninja, and Itachi saw a little bit of Sasuke inside her every moment she was with him.

"Do you really want me gone?" Kana's tears sprung to the surface. She wiped them away embarrassedly.

Itachi deliberated for a moment. The answer, of course, was no. No, he wanted to keep her with him, to train her and to be there for her, to atone, for not spending time with Sasuke. But the answer that he came out with had to be different.

"Well, you are necessary for the success of Akatsuki's ideals. No other reason. You're of use here, and that's all there is to it."

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Kana turned round and began walking back to their camp. Itachi couldn't see that she was crying.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Only takes a minute to review! :)


	4. Chapter 4 Training With The Serpent

**Hi! It's been a long time, so sorry about that :3 Mega business, lately. Anyways, here is chapter four; enjoy and review please!**

**Chapter four: Training with the serpent **

Kana yawned lazily, dabbling at her meagre rations for the day. Sleeping on the hard forest floor was starting to wear on her; it had been three months already, and her bruises were more painful than ever. She sighed despondently. Her training hadn't been going too well. She thought she was doing fine, but Itachi never seemed to be satisfied, or at least, he never showed it. There were never any smiles or laughter coming from his lips, which always remained straight, and the only times he showed any inflection in his voice was when he raised it slightly for her to stop her training. But, somehow, after the initial setbacks, she was beginning to get used to his presence, and he her.

"Why are you not eating?" he asked suddenly. He was sat leaning against a tree trunk, one leg straight and one bent, with his arm resting on the knee. His cloak rippled with the passing breeze.

It took Kana a while to respond. "Am I a good ninja?" she asked, still poking at her food.

"Excuse me?"

"You never seem happy with me, Itachi-sensei. Every time I do something, you never say it's good so I don't know how I'm doing!"

"If you keep on complaining, I can leave you behind here, if you would rather that."

"No!" she said quickly. "Sorry I moaned at you, sensei… I'll eat now."

"You are doing well," he spoke. "You can already wield chakra to some extent, and your taijutsu is coming along well."

She grinned. "Gee, thanks sensei!" And with that, her food was soon devoured.

"Sensei.." he mused again to himself.

Kana suddenly felt a vile ring in her ears. "What is that?" she cried. It was like someone was shouting at her, only it was inside her mind, and all she had to do was reply to the screaming to make it stop.

"It's our Leader."

Kana squeezed her eyes shut and drew closer to Itachi on instinct. "Make it stop!"

"Answer it."

"How?!"

She took a deep breath and forced herself to be calm like Itachi. Answer? She tried.

"Hello?" she said.

"Kana, Itachi. It is Leader. I have an assignment for you both. Not a mission, but an order to spend today training with Orochimaru, in order to develop Kana's ninjutsu. Orochimaru will provide Kana with the theoretical grounding as well as the practical application on many things. I believe the combined training of both Uchiha and Orochimaru's methods with prove effective in helping Kana to control her… helping Kana to develop as a shinobi. Orochimaru will arrive at your location shortly, as he has already been told of this. Kana- work hard to become stronger, for only you have the unique potential to become… very powerful indeed. That is all I am saying for now. I'm signing out."

And with that, the buzz in Kana's brain ceased, and she was left sat in a daze, blinking frequently. She swallowed and noticed that tears were gathering in her eyes. She refused to let them fall now, because Itachi would never, ever cry like that. That experience just then had scared her very much, and every time she thought back to it, she felt something like ice run down her back. She brushed her dark hair away from her eyes and blinked the tears away from the tips of her black eyelashes. Orochimaru… Whoever it was, the name itself made her cringe. Leader's explanation had been so confusing that she was only able to pick out small bits of it. She wondered if they occasionally forgot she was eight years old.

"Orochimaru will be here soon," Itachi said coolly, standing up. He brushed the dirt off his cloak and looked into the distance. He seemed to be looking at something much farther away than just the sunrise.

Before she could allow herself to dwell on this, Kana wondered, "Who's Orochimaru?"

"He's a shinobi formerly of the Hidden Leaf village. He specialises in immortality jutsu, and knows a great deal about snakes. His crime has something to do with his determination to discovering the secrets for immortality and other forbidden jutsu. He is a cruel man."

Kana gulped nervously. "I don't want to train with this guy… He sounds mean."

"You have to. I will not be far away."

This thought comforted her a little.

OOO

The man in front of her had the whitest skin she had ever seen, with snake-like eyes and purple lines on his face. He had sleek black hair running all down his back and an uncomfortably sinister smile curling on his lips that showed his teeth. Everything about him was making Kana shudder; he was nearly as scary as the masked man who had taken her to Itachi. Nearly, but not quite.

"Itachi Uchiha, it has been some time," Orochimaru greeted him in a voice that was more like a rasp than anything else. Itachi merely nodded in acknowledgement. "And this is the young girl I'm supposed to teach today? What a runt. Leader must have some very special plans in store for this child."

Kana poked her tongue out at him and ran behind Itachi's back. Itachi took hold of the back of her tunic and dumped her in front of himself, forcing her to bear Orochimaru's cruel stare.

"I'm not a runt! You're not my sensei, either!" she said defiantly.

"Kana," Itachi interrupted her complaints, "You must behave today. Orochimaru is teaching you things I cannot." She looked up at him, and for a second he looked in emotional pain. His face clouded with anxiety for the smallest moment, before he resumed his ordinary emotionless expression. Kana frowned. Why didn't he just tell people he was sad if he felt that way? He didn't have to hide it.

"If you want me to, then… I guess I could."

"Well, go and start your training."

"'Kay!"

OOO

Orochimaru led Kana to a small clearing, where a large full sack had been placed. She could have sworn it was moving. He zeroed in on her, seeming to slither, and another malicious grin formed on his ghostly face. He took her by the hand like a rich lady, and took her towards the sack. Kana didn't know what was going on, or what was inside the sack, but her instincts told her it had something to do with her 'special' training, and it wasn't very friendly. He stood between her and the sack and gave an amused sigh.

"Kana?" he questioned, still baring his teeth.

"Yeah?" Her eyebrows were creased with worry.

"When you grow up, you will be part of the Akatsuki, and you will wear a cloak just like mine and Itachi's, but before then, you must learn how to complete some difficult missions."

She nodded hurriedly, fixated on the contents of the sack.

"Some missions won't be very nice for you, because Akatsuki is an organisation for grown-ups."

"Itachi's not grown-up!" She secretly wished he wouldn't keep talking down on her.

"He was an exception. He was a prodigy. Now, this is a little test to see if a little kid like you has what it takes to be a part of the Akatsuki. Some of your missions will be like this, so I hope you are ready for it. Otherwise, you will be separated from Itachi-sensei forever."

"No! Please, I'll do anything to wear that cool cloak and stay with sensei! Just get that thing out of the sack and we can start my training! I'll do it!"

Orochimaru smiled triumphantly. "I was always good with the children," he mumbled to himself. He raised his voice a little. "Kana- why don't you open the bag yourself? It would be a very good thing if you did…"

She nodded enthusiastically, and drew out a small knife Itachi had given her out of a pocket in her tunic. She slashed apart the ropes that bound the sack and prized the edges open. What she saw next horrified her into falling backwards into the dirt.

A boy crawled out. Just an ordinary boy, maybe three years older than her. He was wearing the shabbiest rags she had ever seen, and was covered in cuts, bruises and dirt. His hair was matted and dull, and he stared at her with wide eyes of fear.

"Help me," he croaked. "Please, little girl, that man killed my family…"

"Mister Orochimaru, who is this?" she squeaked. The boy continued to stare at her, and he began to weep uncontrollably.

"Kana dear, this is Nao. He was one of my… pupils, but he didn't live up to expectations. He is worthless now. If you will, your mission is to kill this boy."

Her world froze. "Kill him?"

"Yes, Kana, kill him. Use your knife, and kill him. His life is nothing to you. You don't know him. You must kill your emotions, or duty will destroy you, child."

"I can't kill someone! I knew it- all ninjas are bad and kill people. They killed my mama and papa and my friends and burned down my village. I can't kill someone I don't even know. I don't even know what to do. Help me!"

"Forget I ever said his name. He has no name. Your victims have no name, no past, no future; they are just what stands between you and mission success. If you let emotions ruin your missions, Leader will let you go at the drop of a hat and you will never see Itachi-sensei again."

Kana felt tears streaming down her cheeks. The knife shook in her white knuckles and she grinded her teeth together. Her hair covered her eyes and she bent down slightly.

"Please don't kill me! Please! I don't want to die! HELP ME!" the boy screamed. Orochimaru cast a jutsu Kana had never seen before and the boy froze on the spot, the terrified expression still painted on him.

"I can't…" Kana sobbed, the knife trembling within her grasp. "Please don't make me do it… I promise I'll be good, just don't make me kill a little boy…"

Itachi was suddenly behind Orochimaru, completely emotionless.

"Orochimaru… don't you think that's a bit much? She is only eight."

"If she doesn't learn now, she never will. There's always a first time…"

Kana collapsed to her knees, crying like a baby. "I don't want to be a murderer… I just want to go home and be happy again. Don't make me kill him; he didn't do anything wrong."

"Do it! Or I'll kill Itachi!"

Itachi blinked, and Orochimaru held a kunai to his throat. This act seemed to be amusing Orochimaru no end. Itachi continued to don a blank face. "Orochimaru… This has to stop. No child should be made to do this." He didn't raise his voice, but he sounded pretty damn firm.

"NO!" she yelled, a change in her voice. "Don't you dare kill Itachi-sensei!"

"Kill the boy, or Itachi dies. That should be some sufficient motivation."

Orochimaru pressed the tip of this kunai to Itachi's neck, and a bead of blood rolled down from the wound. Kana was shaking with fury. She clenched her tiny, chubby hands into fists with white knuckles, still gripping the knife tightly. Something snapped inside her head, and she felt an odd twinge in her eyes.

"Don't ever hurt him," she warned Orochimaru, and turned to the boy. "I'll kill you!" she screamed.

Suddenly, she was blind to herself and yet she could see everything. It was the same… the same as the night mother had… when that ninja…

She ran forward and drove the knife into the boys neck. Blood splattered onto her tunic as she glared up at him with her blood red eyes.


	5. Chapter 5 Homecoming

Long chapter this time guys. Hope you like it! Sorry I haven't uploaded for so long, things have been pretty busy.

This chapter follows Itachi and his return to Konoha to collect the nine-tails, and Kana's first time inside a crowded place like the Leaf! There's a five year time skip… Enjoy and review!

**Chapter 5- Homecoming**

*FIVE YEARS LATER. KANA IS NOW TWELVE YEARS OLD.*

A lot had altered in the five years that Itachi and Kana spent training together. The memory of the first kill she had made was still stark in Kana's mind, yet Itachi noticed that still, she concentrated all her efforts into putting on the face of someone cheerful and happy-go-lucky. If anyone was going to guess that was a cover-up of her pain, it was Itachi. He knew what had happened to her that day, and it shocked him half to death.

Kana had progressed so far and fast that Itachi speculated that she would be a formidable opponent in battle with any skilled shinobi. He had been trying all this time to get over the fact that she looked a lot like Sasuke, and had done very well. Now that Kana was older, her physical appearance was more mature, and she was now too old to be called 'cute' or a 'child'. He never thought about that now, and firmly considered her and Sasuke to be completely separate people.

Itachi had resigned himself to the Akatsuki and was losing himself- he felt like he didn't know himself anymore. The memory of Sasuke niggled him at the back of his mind, always on the peripheral but never quite at the forefront of his cluttered thoughts. Kana was his focus now. When the time came for Sasuke to kill him, he would know and there was no point in dwelling on things like that for now.

As Kana had grown older, her face had matured beyond her years, obscuring the emotional scars her time so far in the Akatsuki had imprinted on her; the missions they were assigned to were hardly suitable for a kid. She had gained quite a reputation in the organisation for being a prodigy in killing people in a 'big' and dramatic way. Itachi was staggered: somehow, despite all her ordeals so far, her face still held the picture of innocence that it had on the first day that they met.

"Itachi-sensei… where to now? I'm as strong as you now. Is there any need to keep on travelling together?" Kana speculated, her new official Akatsuki cloak covering up her clenched fists. She didn't want to leave, but the fear that she might have to was too much. Her hands were clenched so tight that her sky ring was beginning to hurt her fingers.

"Leader requests that I have you here until we finish sealing the tailed beasts. I shouldn't have to tell you this again…" Itachi snapped, and then he could have punched himself. Why was he such a jerk to her sometimes? It must be the Akatsuki rubbing off on him. No matter what, he couldn't allow himself to forget his old life.

Itachi felt a tug in his mind. Leader wanted to speak to the both of them.

"Kana-"

"I know."

They both closed their eyes.

"Kana, Itachi… how are things?" Leader asked.

"You want to ask how we are? " Kana said loudly. She immediately bit her lip.

"Hold your tongue, child."

"I'm not a child!"

Leader sighed, exasperated. "Be quiet. You're as bad as Deidara for rude interruptions."

"Deidara's the new member isn't he? The one me and Itachi went to recruit? Yes, I remember him. He is rude to everyone who does not appreciate his art, so he openly despises me and Itachi," Kana chattered.

"Quiet!" Leader eventually lost his patience. "I have a task for you."

"Another small mission?" Itachi asked, secretly hoping that it was nothing too momentous.

"No. This is an important mission." Kana's interest had sparked now. "You are to travel to the village hidden in the Leaves to collect the nine-tails jinchuuriki. The jinchuuriki is still weak, so Itachi's team should be able to handle it with ease."

Itachi stopped breathing for a moment. The Leaf? He hadn't been there since the night that he no longer concerned himself with thinking about. And the nine-tails jinchuuriki was the child possessed with the fox demon tailed beast, Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto… the legacy of Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. He'd be about the same age as Sasuke.

OOO

"Itachi… you came from the Leaf village, right? What's it like there?" Kana asked out of interest. They were very nearly there.

Itachi breathed in deeply, then breathed out, thinking of what to say to her. "It's… warm. You wouldn't find a single Shinobi in that place who would betray a comrade."

"However… in the Akatsuki… it's not like that, is it? It's always running and hiding and looking for a way out, and killing people, all for a cause that most of us don't even believe in," Kana said softly. "I only stay and contribute to Leader's goals because I have nowhere else to go. You're here as well. What use is there for a ninja without a hidden village to belong to? Why do others join the Akatsuki?"

"That's a difficult question to answer, Kana," he replied quietly. "People join the Akatsuki because they have desires that their own ninja villages cannot satisfy, and they believe that by staying loyal to the Akatsuki, that their goals will be met along with the organisation's. No-one would betray the organisation itself, unless they wanted to die, but I doubt any members have many feelings towards their partners."

Kana paused for a moment in thought. "But Itachi… you wouldn't sell me out, would you? We're partners."

"… No. No, I wouldn't. You are too valuable to the organisation," he replied shortly, not looking Kana in the eye.

"I didn't think so," she smiled. "You're just not that kind of person. You seem to be unwavering in your loyalty to the Akatsuki, but what are your goals, Itachi? You've never discussed them before, not even to me, your partner of five years."

Itachi panicked for a moment. She couldn't catch on. "Let's hurry. We are almost at the borders."

"You're dodging the question! Well, if you won't answer that, then what do you personally think I should aim to be as a shinobi? I can't just blindly follow the Akatsuki's ideals without having any of my own, you know."

"The nameless shinobi who protects peace from within its shadow… is what a true shinobi is. It's something someone told me a long time ago." He cleared his throat and gazed in the direction of the Leaf. "Now come on. We haven't got much time."

Kana frowned and followed on, too occupied with her thoughts to bother with her usual chatter.

Itachi and Kana drew nearer to the exterior of the Leaf village, Itachi holding back slightly. He didn't even know how he would dare to show his face around here after what he did.

"How do we get in? Won't we get caught if there is a barrier? There is an invisible spherical barrier, with aerial and underground coverage. If we go right on in, we'll be detected immediately by the barrier corps," Kana grumbled.

"I was once head of the village's ANBU unit. I recall the passcode to get through the barrier," Itachi responded sullenly.

"Why so miserable? Could it be that you still have feelings for this village of yours?"

I love the village more than anything else. That's why I did what I did. To protect the Leaf, and to protect my Sasuke. But I can never tell anyone that. I would rather leave the village as an outcast, a criminal, and have the world believe that I am scum, than see the place blown to bits by my own clan in a war. Itachi thought.

"No," he muttered. "Sharingan!"

Switching on his Sharingan, Itachi could now perceive the barrier that fortified the village. Kana was right; the barrier had aerial and underground coverage.

"The fire's shadow illuminates the village." The passcode came from Itachi's lips sounded so familiar to him.

He could see that the blue chakra of the barrier dissipating quickly, until it dissolved into nothing.

"We can cross the threshold now…" he said quietly, and walked forward. Kana took a second to react, and hurriedly went to keep by his side.

Itachi swallowed hard. He had no intention of taking Naruto Uzumaki with them, but he had to show his face here: he had to express to the Leaf village that he was still alive, to make them remember him. More specifically, to make Sasuke remember him. To make it possible for Sasuke to kill him later on, Sasuke would need to be stronger than Itachi, and that was going to be very, very trying. Sasuke needed the goal of revenge to make him stronger. At least then, Itachi could die happy, knowing that his brother had worked hard to become strong.

"Itachi… you look for the jinchuuriki. Can go for a look around? I've never seen a Shinobi village before. I want to get a feel of the atmosphere," Kana said loosely, starting to deviate off on her own. She looked back over her shoulder, to see if Itachi cared or not.

"Fine, do what you want. Just don't make a huge commotion. You are expected to be undercover. They may be on familiar terms with the uniform and ring…" Itachi replied, permitting her. Thinking for a moment, he realised that this would be good thing: Kana had, on no occasion, seen a good atmosphere before… in the Akatsuki, it was all adult issues, training, immoral missions, and a perpetual battle to get the better of someone. It might be good for her to relax a little.

"Cool. I will come and find you when the day is out."

OOO

KANA'S VIEW

Kana had never been inside a hidden village before. What Itachi told her were the only things she knew. She felt frustrated, knowing there was still so much she didn't know about being a Shinobi.

Walking through the village, she took off her cloak and held it in her arms, wanting to let her skin feel the warm air.

She became aware, after a while, that she looked a little dissimilar to the other children her age. Beneath her Akatsuki cloak, she was wearing a grey mail vest underneath a black t-shirt, and a short black skort. She carried a small sword on her back, her hands were covered up by dark fingerless gloves, and her hair was tied into a slapdash, loose ponytail.

While Kana was walking slowly, they were running around the streets, with a dog, or a ball maybe, or playing 'ninja', or racing around a play park, pretending that it was an obstacle course. Some were with their parents, holding their hands, while others were sat with their senseis, conferring training or eating a meal together. Some kids were smugly showing off their new forehead protectors, having freshly graduated from the ninja academy that Kana could see in the distance, and some were full of activity, concerning themselves with the simplest of missions, like walking a dog.

The major variance in their appearances was that they still looked so naïve, so new to the world. While Kana's face still looked like a child's, above suspicion and pure, the inner workings of her mind were well beyond her years. These were children who'd had a chance to revel in a real childhood.

Ramen stalls and barbeque restaurants to all the important places, like the Medical corps at the hospital, or the cipher corps in the Leaf village archives, it was all there. It was beginning to make Kana's head spin, further disrupting her thoughts. After a while, Kana began to feel dizzy; this was bit too much to take in. Then she found that she couldn't breathe, and this made her panic. Not wanting to make a scene, Kana ran off in search of somewhere to calm down, begging herself to stay conscious.

She finally took a seat down on a bench in a thankfully quiet area of the village. Never had she imagined that a ninja village would have such an forceful effect on her. She supposed that it was because she had never seen a crowd before. At least, not a crowd of happy people. She must have had an anxiety attack.

"Yo, are you okay there?"

A voice startled Kana out of her cluttered thoughts. Though the statement in itself was caring enough, the voice sounded flat and indifferent. The ninja who spoke the words was carrying a large wad of paperwork, and looked rather hectic.

Well accomplished at being unfriendly, Kana decided to snap. "I'm fine! Let me be."

The ninja blanched, taken aback at her harsh response. "You don't look fine," he remarked, eyeing her visage. "Are you sure you don't need to go to the medical corps for some help?"

"No!" she retorted, and went back to breathing heavily, holding her neck. "I- don't- need- any- help!"

His eyes progressed slowly from her head down to her arms, which were still clutching onto her black and red Akatsuki cloak. Then he caught sight of her ring, on her index finger. They widened in shock, and then in fear.

"What the- no way!" he cried, and dropped his paperwork. The clamour of the documents hitting the ground echoed a little. Kana shut her eyes in fierce regret. Itachi had warned her that they were undercover. She should have been more careful.

"You're from the- the Akatsuki! Get away, scum, or I'll call the Hokage!"

"Busted…" she said sarcastically, then withdrew her small sword.

"No- please-" he stammered.

"If you love your life, don't tell anyone about what happened here!" she said hurriedly, holding the sword up to his throat. Suddenly, she coughed and dropped her sword. Dammit… she thought, I'm still not one hundred percent.

"I must notify Lady Hokage!" he whispered to himself.

In a mad rush, Kana dropped her sword and gathered electricity in her hands, and then shot him square in the chest with a blast of lighting enhanced chakra, seriously injuring him. She quickly tossed his unconscious body into a nearby bush.

"Thank goodness…" she muttered, running the back of her hand over her forehead.

"Who are you?"

"Not another one!" she sighed desperately, and turned around. This man was different, however. He was tall and fit, wearing the standard Shinobi uniform and he had a mask covering up the lower half of his face. His forehead protector was lopsided over his left eye, and he had spikey, silvery coloured hair. His look was one of aloofness and an peculiar calm. Kana looked at the brightly-coloured book he was holding and cringed. Who would read that soppy crap?

"You're from the Akatsuki, aren't you?" he confirmed with confidence. Kana diverted her eyes from the book, swallowed and stayed silent.

"Are you a Shinobi?" Kana asked after a moment's silence, deciding it would be safest to play 'dumb-child' for a bit.

"Wh- yes, I am, quite obviously," he said, confused. "Itachi's here too. I've seen him around, sniffing out for jinchuuriki. Well, he won't find one here."

Again, Kana did not reply to him.

"What's a kid like you doing in an organisation like the Akatsuki? A little young, aren't you? How old are you?"

"Twelve," she mumbled.

"Twelve, huh? What are the Akatsuki's intentions then?"

"I don't… I don't know," Kana confessed. "They took me in years ago and said I had a large amount of chakra that would be useful to them. I am their tool to be trained up and used against enemies."

What was she doing? Why was she confessing all to this man? It was like he could draw the answers out of her like a magnet.

"It seems you're being used, kid. You should probably leave here now, or I'll have to kill you, or take you in for questioning. Sound fun?"

"Haha, I'm sure it'll be a ball. But you can't kill me, that's why I'm still here. My missions in the Akatsuki make your village tasks look like smut!" she said loudly, acting as brave as she could, and raised her hand, filling it with electrified chakra.

"Chidori, huh?"

"What are you on about? I'm ready to kill you, and you're just standing there!"

"That technique you're using… it's called chidori."

"Oh, well-" Kana was a little flustered.

Kana suddenly felt a familiar chill run through the air. Itachi appeared beside her.

"Itachi… I knew you were here. I recognise the cloak," the guy said casually, his eyes moving slowly towards the pages of his book. How funny that he should still want to read his book in this scenario.

"Kakashi Hatake, the copy-ninja. Long-time no see…" Itachi replied. He turned to Kana. "We're not here to fight an all-out battle. There are no jinchuuriki here. Naruto must be out of the village right now."

Kana nodded dumbly. This was getting too confusing now.

"The fact that you'd show yourself around this village these days suggests that you're up to something suspicious. I can't let you leave, kid… you've been running rogue for too long," Kakashi said, finally turning serious and closing his book. Kakashi lifted his forehead protector above his left eye, revealing it for the first time.

Kana nearly passed out from shock. His eye was exactly like Itachi's Sharingan eyes, all red and scary looking, with three black comma shapes around the pupil. Why did this guy have the Sharingan? Kana thought it was Itachi's clan, only Itachi's clan who could possess that legendary eye power. And why did he only have one Sharingan? Kana's mind was officially overloaded.

A vertical scar ran from the top of Kakashi's forehead down to his mask, making the eye look like it belonged to a another person. Hey, maybe it had once. Maybe it had been transplanted, if that was even possible.

"Itachi… what's going on?" Kana cried, startled.

"You have mastered our Sharingan well, Kakashi… however, you lack our strength and stamina, and that's something that cannot be transplanted into you like an eye can…" Itachi muttered. Kana was confused. What on earth was going on here? They seemed to know each other.

"You're not leaving here!" Kakashi declared, a little comically, despite his situation.

"I think we are. I don't wish to fight here. My way is… efficient." Itachi's eyes suddenly changed colour, to a different, more terrifying kind of Sharingan. "Tsukuyomi…" he said softly, and a second later, Kakashi was down on the ground, paralysed with shock.

"Itachi… what did you do?" Kana said, panicking.

"Normal Sharingan users cannot fight back my technique, the Tsukuyomi…" he mused to himself. "The Mangekyou Sharingan is, by far, more powerful."

Kana stared down at Kakashi's body. In a way, he had shown concern for her, as did the ninja who cornered her a minute ago. He had shown concern for her age (though this worry of his was completely unnecessary, considering her power), suggesting that was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. The Shinobi of the Leaf village truly were compassionate people, and she had gravely injured one, and attempted to kill the other. At times, Kana thought herself to be somewhat stupid. Actually, almost all of the time.

"Kana… we're leaving now. The jinchuuriki is not far from here," Itachi said tersely. He then turned and hustled off into the distance, not wanting any further interferences.

However, Kana did not follow. She bent down slowly, her breathing finally regular, and put her head against Kakashi's heart. It was still beating, thank goodness.

She slapped his face twice, and he sluggishly opened his ordinary eye.

"What the… oh, I'm back…" he slurred, and shut his eye again.

"It's okay. I can get you to someone who can give you the aid you need," Kana soothed, wondering why the heck she was being so… nice. Since the Akatsuki had taken her in, she had thought that her old, soft personality had been totally eradicated. These stupid Leaf Shinobi somehow beckoned her old kindness out again.

Kana took hold of Kakashi's body. He was a dead weight. "Oh, what Itachi must have put him through…" she muttered. Itachi was not a bad person… Kana would swear by it. But there was still something up with everything he did. He was so empty and unpredictable. It was kind of tiring.

Kana gently placed Kakashi outside the doors of the Leaf's hospital, hoping that no-one could see her.

"Sorry, Kakashi. I'll be going now, then. Got to get back to work. And don't think I'm being nice. I just owe you one for not running straight to your leader about myself and Itachi. Anyway, he'll be waiting, and we've got a jinchuuriki to hunt. It's gonna be fun…" she chattered, not looking at Kakashi.

"S'okay… don't mention it. Now go, before they land you in prison. And, be vigilant, kid. Akatsuki's not a place you ought to be in. It'll only lead you to corruption. And be guarded of Itachi; he's a dangerous guy. Don't be used as a tool, and stay pure. The way you are. If you go any further, you'll become just another criminal," Kakashi advised in a muffled voice.

Kana nodded silently. The quiet words he had uttered touched a nerve with Kana. They hurt, but they were more true than Kana wanted to believe. After thanking Kakashi one more time, she ran off into the distance, to find Itachi waiting at an isolated spot on the village's borders.

"The fire's shadow illuminates the village," Itachi said in the same hollow voice, and they walked straight through the barrier.

"Where to now, sensei? I want to catch my first tailed beast!" Kana said, back to her normal self, now that they were out of the village. She felt a little freer 'outside'.

"You were different, in there…" he mused.

"How so?"

"The fear of being near so many people at once must have been crippling for you. No wonder you had a panic attack. Who knew you were agoraphobic? But I could see your inquisitiveness at a life inside a Shinobi village."

Kana's heart stopped for a second.

"I know you killed that Shinobi… but you couldn't kill Kakashi Hatake," Itachi continued, "He is indeed a wise man. He has the same influence on most people. Not myself, however. Nothing affects me…"

"Itachi… who are you?" Kana blurted out. "Most of the time, you're emotionless and ruthless and downright mean, and the next you seem to drop that persona and become all reflective. Especially when I talk about the villages, and the Akatsuki. What's your story?"

But Itachi Uchiha never answered. His head was facing upwards, observing the azure blue and cloudless sky above them, brooding unknown things to himself.

"I wonder if… Sasuke was there," he said softly.

"Who's that?" she necessitated.

"…No-one you know," he said with a oddly wounded expression on his habitually blank visage. Kana could have sworn that, as he turned away, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me, it's fine," she said, dissatisfied. Itachi nodded, seeming comforted by her words. "Now," she said brightly, "Where do you suppose we should look next?"

"You're impossible," Itachi muttered, a small, crooked smile softening his face.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review. ;)


	6. Chapter 6 Clash!

Hi, guys! There is a three year time skip. The one-tail and a few subsequent tailed beasts have been sealed. Kana is now 15 years old and deadly.

Enjoy, and review with your thoughts please! Thanks.

**Chapter 5- Clash**

Somewhere isolated and hidden, was a large cave. In this cave, were two real people, and projections of several other individuals. And these people were the most recent compilation of the Akatsuki. No light managed to work into the cave. The only light was the faint glow that each projection emitted. Each projection was stood atop a giant hand shaped statue of what was apparently a demon, and each projection had its own finger to stand on. Facing the hand was the rest of the statue: a demonic-looking face with many eyes.

"Good work, Itachi, Kana…" Leader praised. "We can now seal the six tails…"

"We are so close!" Tobi yelled.

"Shut up, Tobi…" Kakuzu growled. "As treasurer of the Akatsuki's money matters, I can say that our funds are currently leaving a lot to be desired… we have consumed too much money lately."

"Money is indeed important. However, as Tobi said, we are very close now. Only a few more tailed beasts left," Leader reasoned, trying, as per usual, to keep all these immensely powerful Shinobi from aggravating each other too much.

"Since Itachi and Kana have done well with the six-tails, I will send Hidan and Kakuzu to collect the nine-tails. I was going to send out Itachi's squad out, however after remembering your last attempt at the nine-tails, I reconsidered."

Kana stared straight ahead, feeling a little rueful. Their last attempt to capture the nine-tails failed, because of Itachi… she closed her eyes and remembered… back to her twelve-year-old self.

_"So, it's this way, right?" Kana had said, pointing at the sign post as they made their way along the path away from the Hidden Leaf. She stopped to check the sign more thoroughly. "This town is where the Jinchuuriki should be? Naruto Uzumaki?"_

_"You ask too many questions, Kana," Itachi replied shortly, continuing to walk. He still looked consumed in his thoughts, after their encounter with Kakashi in the Leaf._

_"But is it? I'm tired of hunting Jinchuuriki already!"_

_"Yeah. It is."_

_"Let's go then- we should hurry!"_

_"Fine, let's run."_

_A ninja's definition of 'run' is slightly different. They sprinted at blinding speeds, through the trees so that they would remain inconspicuous, and consequently reached the town in just a few minutes. Itachi looked round at Kana, to see that she was quickly catching up to him in the speed department._

_"Here we are!" Kana said brightly. "No-one knows we're Akatsuki, so we can relax here, right?"_

_"Well, if you declare it that stridently, someone might guess," Itachi sighed. "You have decent senses now. Locate the Uzumaki kid for us. After all, he is your individual assignment."_

_Kana nodded importantly, thrilled at having been given a direct order from Itachi. She closed her eyes and searched through the chakras of every single individual in the vicinity, until she suddenly struck gold. Here was a chakra she had never felt before. If a normal, human chakra was a colour, she'd say it was blue, however the chakra she was sensing now was crimson, dangerous and potent. Definitely the sign of a tailed beast Jinchuuriki nearby._

_"It's in the inn, two hundred and fifty yards to the north east," she confirmed confidently, and made her way there immediately, Itachi in close pursuit. "By the way… Itachi? _

_While they were making their way to the inn, Kana could have sworn she sensed a chakra almost identical to Itachi's. It was nearly the same. The chakra was younger, fresher, but there was a dark veil, a mask of darkness hanging over it, waiting to consume the chakra's centre. It was a chakra shrouded in evil, however it had the same signature as Itachi's._

_While pondering over this, Kana noticed that they had arrived. Itachi opened the door of the inn._

_"Ah…" he said, looking at a white-haired man in the far end of the reception. "This could complicate things. Jiraiya's here."_

_"Who's Jiraiya?"_

_"An extraordinarily powerful Shinobi. A legend. The best I could do in a match with this guy would be a stale-mate."_

_Kana gasped. "That powerful? Geez, this is unlucky."_

_"I have a plan to get rid of him while we get Naruto. Jiraiya has a flaw. That flaw will be his downfall."_

_"Flaw?"_

_"You'll see. Watch."_

_Itachi walked over to a very attractive young woman with long auburn hair and chestnut eyes and began to talk to her. Then he fixed her gaze and pointed his finger at her._

_Kana noticed with amusement that Itachi had just put her under a genjutsu, an illusion. The woman smiled blissfully and approached Jiraiya, who practically hit the roof, marvelling at her beauty. Jiraiya put his arm around the woman, and left with her, laughing in joy all the way out, and not even noticing Itachi, who was stood watching by the door._

_"Problem solved," Itachi said simply. "Let's go upstairs. You can find Naruto's room."_

_Kana nodded, still concerned about this chakra she was sensing, the one identical to Itachi's._

_They walked up the stairs and along a long corridor, right to the end, where Kana knocked twice on the thin wooden door._

_A tiny kid, almost exactly her age, with spikey blonde hair and a stupid look on his face opened the door._

_"Sasuke? No, wait… who are you? You look just like Sasuke!" the blonde kid cried. He looked scared._

_"I am not Sasuke, no… Naruto, you are coming with us."_

_"Who's Sasuke? You've mentioned him before!" Kana said urgently, suspecting something._

_"That doesn't matter. We need to take Naruto with us."_

_Itachi reached out to grab Naruto, when the chakra Kana had been sensing grew unbearably close, till she was certain it was right next to her._

_"Itachi… Uchiha," someone said._

_Kana whipped around to see a young boy, Itachi in miniature, standing opposite them with a mutinous look in his eyes. Actually, Itachi in miniature, but with hair and eyes the exact same shade as hers. It creeped her out to know how similar she looked to a boy with such a dangerous look on his face._

_"Sasuke…" Itachi muttered. Kana gulped. He looked sad… no, Itachi looked devastated. But she doubted anyone but her could tell that. The conversation grew more and more heated, and Kana could feel the pressure from Sasuke's chakra skyrocketing. Still, it wasn't even comparable to hers, let alone Itachi's. Itachi kept his power hidden, and his emotions. He simply stared at Sasuke with a blank face, replying tonelessly to Sasuke's taunts._

_"I've lived my life for one single purpose, brother, to see your death, you bastard!" Sasuke roared, and gathered a huge ball of lightning in his palm. Sasuke gripped the arm holding the lightning with his other hand, and ran at Itachi, full speed._

_Itachi easily overcame Sasuke, grabbing his hand, dispelling the lightning and breaking Sasuke's wrist in the process. Sasuke screamed in pain, and Itachi pinned him against the wall. Kana hadn't seen Itachi this physically violent for no reason. Why towards Sasuke?_

_"You haven't got enough hate, my brother… and you know what? You never will. You fail to measure your own capacity, and then failed to measure my own. You live your life by what you see as reality, however you are merely blinded by other matters, preventing you from seeing what is important," Itachi whispered, then threw Sasuke to the ground. Sasuke coughed, in pain, and held his broken wrist with a shaking hand. He glared up at Itachi with such hatred, Kana thought he was going to try and kill him again._

_"Kana, we're going."_

_"What about the nine-tails?" Kana cried, pointing at Naruto, who was watching Sasuke in horror._

_"Doesn't matter… my job here is done. Come, Kana, let's go."_

_"What the hell, Itachi? Leader will have our heads for this!"_

_Kana grumbled all the way back to their base, wondering… Sasuke… Itachi's younger brother. Why did they hate each other so much? Why did they attack each other? And why, after Sasuke showed up, did Itachi decide to leave? So much had confused her back then._

Back in the cave, Kana was observing Hidan and Kakuzu's reactions to the news that they would be doing the nine-tails hunt.

"Yes! I need some more blood… for my ritual, that is. Lord Jashin will be pleased with the destruction I will cause!" Hidan cried in ecstasy.

"Don't go too far, Hidan… the Jinchuuriki must be brought back alive…" Kakuzu reminded him querulously. Hidan sighed, tired of his partner's nagging. "Geez, you and your stupid God…Pointless decimation, that's what Jashin is."

"Shut up, Kakuzu! I swear, you're going to irritate me too much soon…"

"You shut up, or I'll crush you…"

"Ah, come on. You know can't kill me! You forget that sometimes…"

"Quiet," Leader said blankly.

"Ah, not you too!" Hidan complained. "I'm surrounded by heathens!"

"Shut _up_ Hidan… we're off. First stop: the Fire temple…"

Their projections disappeared. Kana assumed they had deactivated the projections and headed off the collect the nine-tails. Shortly afterwards, the rest of the groups' projections phased out.

"Kana… let's go and train," Itachi said, breaking the tense silence afterwards. Kana smiled blissfully, then check herself back into being staid and grim. Don't smile… ever… she was thinking furiously, and consequently her face grew an amusingly pained expression. The Akatsuki was a real pain sometimes, the emotionless thing and all. She had come to comprehend over the years why Itachi was such a sombre guy sometimes; it just wasn't allowed. Leader believed that Akatsuki members should be stern and solemn and focused, something that Kana had worked on, but not succeeded.

Kana was about to agree fervently, but revised her thoughts. She cleared her throat pointedly. "Sure, okay. My taijutsu needs some work anyway."

"Taijutsu? Your genjutsu is slightly more lack-lustre, Kana…" Itachi speculated, not looking at her.

"We've been through this before. I am not a genjutsu-type Shinobi in the first place, so genjutsu is a little off the cards for me. I can break free of a genjutsu, and I can do the demonic hell-viewing technique, and most other skills like that, so I should be okay. My taijutsu needs some work- I got injured on our latest assignment, the six-tails' capture. That would not have occurred if my taijutsu had been superior," she replied forcefully, trying to get her point across.

"Alright, alright… let's leave here, then."

"I'll second that. This king of hell statue is creeping me out, to be honest."

OOO

ITACHI'S VIEW

Itachi had to hand it to Kana. She was good now, really good. As good as Sasuke? Maybe. Traces of her innocence still remained, but all doubts within herself were eradicated. An air of confidence was about her in a way that it wasn't before. Yes, the cute way she asked a torrent of questions all the time, but Itachi could tell he was no longer her superior. They were equal in rank, and Kana was now completely certain of herself. He couldn't help but feel some guilt over having made her into what she was, a tool.

"You're being too hasty, try not to get over confident," he reminded her breathlessly after yet another tiring round of taijutsu. He wiped the blood off a small cut on his face, and took off his cloak.

Kana looked down at herself. Several rips had appeared in her cloak, and she sensed that maybe one of her fingers was broken. She touched it just to make sure, and her finger twitched in pain.

"It's true that you have the speed and power necessary to pull off this series off attacks, but if you can't see my counter attack, then it is unrealistic in a real battle situation," Itachi scolded.

"I know that," Kana retorted, visibly stung by the painful truth. "But you have the Sharingan. You can see everything with those eyes. I'm virtually blind compared to you…"

"I wouldn't quite say that." He looked down, a small smile playing around the edges of his lips. Kana was definitely not as blind as she thought. The effort of keeping his true intentions at bay was engulfing him; there was no way he could let even Kana, the person closest to him, know about his true nature. As much as his heart wanted him to burn his Akatsuki cloak and run back to the village, and tell everyone that it was his mission to exterminate his family, the small, realistic voice inside his mind told him no. He had joined the Akatsuki to keep an eye on it, and would continue the role of being his little brother Sasuke's enemy until the moment he died.

But Kana was beginning to suspect him day by day. He supposed that Kana had a clear, unclouded mind that could see his real self, right from the beginning. If she said anything now, then it could have detrimental effects.

Abruptly, Itachi realised that he felt rather ill. Over the last couple of weeks, he had been feeling a little under the weather, but thought nothing of it. Right now though, he was struggling to stand up, and his chest felt uneasy, weak and wrong.

"Itachi… are you alright? You look sick. Should I call to Zetsu? Maybe he can tell you what's wrong," Kana suggested.

"Why would Zetsu know?" Itachi said, grinding his teeth together to stop himself from coughing. Suddenly, a sharp pain in his chest ensued, followed immediately by the uncontrollable urge to cough. He couldn't hide his weakness anymore and put his hand over his mouth to cough. Slowly opening his eyes, Itachi couldn't register what he saw for a few seconds. He had just coughed up blood? That was never good.

"What is it, Itachi?" Kana said suspiciously. Itachi hastily wiped his hand on his trousers.

"…Nothing. Nothing at all."

Inside, he was panicking slightly. If he was coughing up blood, that was a sure sign of disease, a pretty bad one, too. He needed to keep a watch on this. If he should die of this disease, then all of his plans would go to waste.

**ONE WEEK LATER**

Itachi felt the familiar tug in the back of his mind, and closed his eyes.

"What is it, Leader?" he asked.

"Where is Kana? She should be connected with our projections right now," Leader said, disregarding Itachi's words. Itachi had long gotten past the irritation of Leader's habit of doing this, though he did still think it was rude.

"I think Kana is trying to resist the connection," he guessed. Kana was, in fact, standing right next to him, but with her eyes wide open and her arms folded in quiet defiance.

"Thank you for grassing me up, Itachi…" Kana grumbled, and gave in to the connection.

"Anyway, can I go on and explain what the situation is now?" Leader questioned. When there was no response, his projection nodded and continued. "Hidan and Kakuzu are yet to have returned from their assignment."

"What? The Zombie Combo? So much for being immortal!" Kana whispered sarcastically.

"How did this happen? Losing two members in one blow could be a real problem," Itachi said.

"It was Kakashi Hatake and the Nine-tails jinchuuriki's platoon. They are very strong now. Naruto Uzumaki is no longer an ordinary boy. Jutsu that were beyond the reach of the legendary Fourth Hokage are now within his command, and he has many friends. He managed to kill Kakuzu in one blow. Hidan was taken care of by other platoon member, a mere Chuunin," Leader explained, sounding a little regretful of the group's loss. His voice sounded even more dead than usual.

"So I'm guessing you want our team to go after the nine-tails? Since we are the strongest team on the Akatsuki, apart from you and Konan, of course," Kana said confidently. She seriously respected Konan, simply because Konan was the only other woman in the organisation.

Itachi sighed. Not another stab at the nine-tails. He was glad, however, that it was taking this long to collect the tailed beasts. The Akatsuki's plans were being slowed enough by Naruto's team, with Itachi not having to intervene very much, to his relief.

"No. I do not yet believe that they are both dead. Kakuzu possibly, but Hidan? As a result of the crude experiments of his religion, Hidan was granted with something shockingly close to true immortality. He won't be taken down too easily. You must go and retrieve them both; if you run into the Leaf Shinobi, you kill them there and then, but remember, leave the nine-tails jinchuuriki alive."

"Aw, sweet! Leave it to us, Leader."

"Cut out that ridiculous slang from your speech, Kana. It's infuriating. Clearly Itachi didn't stamp that out of you," Leader snapped. "Now, go."

"Yes, sir!"

"Shut up, Kana."

And at that moment the connection was broken.

Itachi opened his eyes. Feeling a sudden jerk in his chest, he bent over and started coughing once again, feeling dizzy.

"Are you really sure you're okay, Itachi?" Kana pressed, clearly concerned. Itachi straightened up apologetically, and his expression turned concrete.

"Why do you care so much about me, Kana?" he said quietly. "You are a fierce warrior with a smart mouth and a brassy demeanour, but… the only person you have ever showed this side of you personality to is me. Why?"

"Because…" she began throatily. "Well, after Tobi took me away from my little village, I felt so scared. And though you are an emotionless, strict sensei, I always knew there was a nice side to you. Always."

Itachi's eyes widened. He stopped breathing momentarily.

"Because I can see right through _your_ genjutsu, Itachi. The one that everyone else believes. I believe you are a good person, no matter what you did in the past. I admire you, Itachi, for keeping on going for so long."

Itachi stood, staring at the floor. She knew! He cleared his throat abruptly and turned around.

"Let's go. Maybe the next village will have something."

"Itachi, are you crying?"

"Be quiet, we're leaving."

As Itachi walked swiftly onward, Kana shook her head, as a way of saying I'm not giving up on you, Itachi Uchiha!

OOO

KANA'S VIEW

She looked over to Itachi as he strode at a slightly quickened pace, avoiding her gaze. Why was she the only person who could look through the illusion that he so readily put forth for everyone to see? Itachi put on this blank, impassive disposition, but even a master Shinobi couldn't hide all his emotions. There were still these slight, rare moments where Itachi's guard would collapse and some feelings would escape from the prison of his mind. Especially whenever Kana brought up the Hidden Leaf village, or that mysterious boy Sasuke that he mentioned those three years ago on their way out of the Hidden Leaf. She never had gotten Itachi to divulge exactly who Sasuke was, or why he looked so upset when mentioning him.

Kana shook her head dismissively, telling herself not to dwell on ridiculous, unnecessary things.

Unnecessary things.

"Kana- they're close by."

"I know. Let's go."

The fight was definitely close, but Kana was suspicious. She smelled death in the air. It was too still, too tense. It was definitely over, but who had won? The Leaf Shinobi, or Hidan and Kakuzu? She hoped it was Hidan and Kakuzu, but she felt a little wrong, wishing death on the Leaf Shinobi, Kakashi, the one who had helped her out back when she was in the Leaf village.

"Ugh, get out!" she snapped, much to Itachi's astonishment.

"What was that for?" Itachi said.

"Sorry. I was arguing with myself, haha…" Kana mumbled. "I have a lot on my mind."

"I see. Well, don't do that. You should be focused at all times."

Kana raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. He was acting so serious since their conversation a while back. Maybe she'd touched a nerve. Oh well, it didn't matter.

"By the way… Itachi?"

"What is it now?"

"This kid is going to die when the Kyuubi is ripped out of him, right? Like the others…"

Itachi nodded slowly. "Yes, he is…"

"I… Okay. I just… Every time we seal a tailed beast, when they die, there's this ache in my chest, like, it's pain, but not physical. I know I can't cry, I just can't, but… Itachi, I don't think I like it very much."

He speculated for a second. "…It's alright. We are only human. You have seen many, many people die in your life so far, so many fall… It's only natural that, eventually, you may get tired of seeing people die."

Kana looked up at him in mild shock, but then corrected herself. "Thanks, Itachi…"

They reached an area of terrain that loked like it had been all dug up. A few craters lined a larger crater, which Kana couldn't see to the end of. At the centre stood several people.

"Itachi… let's go and check this out," Kana suggested, having returned to her normal mood.

Itachi nodded, and they both ran down into the centre of the crater, and moments later were greeted with the least friendly welcome possible.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A blonde kid with an insolent face shouted. "Stupid Akatsuki! Well, I haven't got enough chakra to take another two out! Especially you… Itachi Uchiha, you bastard…"

"Hey, don't talk to Ita-"

"It's alright, Kana. Naruto is probably true on that one."

So this stupid blonde kid was the nine-tails jinchuuriki that took Kakuzu and Hidan down? He looked like an idiot.

"We were sent here merely to take Hidan and Kakuzu back with us, but it seems that is no longer possible," Itachi said quietly.

"Well well, Kana. It seems you've gotten even stronger, kid. And even more tied to evil. But still, I think there is goodness inside of you. Just not much innocence, now."

Kana focused for a second. A man was stood before her with spikey silver hair and a mask covering most of his face. He had the same lazy look about him, but this time, he looked a little dishevelled.

It was Kakashi?


	7. Chapter 7 Thoughtless Impulse

Hi! Thanks for waiting for me to update, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Let me know how it was ^_^

**Chapter 7- Thoughtless impulse**

"Kakashi… I'd heard you were here," Kana said, with a slight smile. "Tied to evil, maybe, but inside, I'm still me!"

"Yes well, Naruto is on my team. Afraid you got here a little late, kid," he replied casually.

"Kakashi-sensei… you know this kid?" Naruto speculated.

"We're acquainted."

Itachi looked from Kana to Kakashi, then from Kakashi to the other people here. So it was Yamato, Sakura, what looked like Inoichi, Chouza and Shikaku's three children, and a pale faced, dark haired boy whom he had never seen before. Kana's eyes flickered towards Itachi, whose face showed no trace of emotion. It reminded her disappointingly of the old days. She thought she had been able to soften him up a bit. Maybe not.

"We… can't let you leave," Kana said blankly. "We have orders to kill you all and take the nine-tails with us. And by the looks of you all, it won't be too difficult."

"I see." Kakashi turned and proceeded to mutter for a few moments to his team mates, occasionally glancing back at Kana.

"Right," he whispered, "To be honest, the kid has a point. In our current state, we can't hold off against two more Akatsuki right off the bat. Itachi is ridiculously powerful, and Kana's not too shabby either. I have reason to believe that she's a good fighter."

"What?" Naruto hissed. "That girl is nearly as tough as Itachi?"

"Don't be fooled by appearances…"

"When you've done planning, we'll be taking the nine-tails with us," Kana said pointedly, and readied her kunai in her hand.

"Right then. I'll go first," Kakashi nodded. His team mates were in no rush to object.

"Itachi… stay out of this," she said, now excited. It had been a while since she'd been in a proper fight. She cracked her knuckles and smiled, a new conviction. No, she wouldn't kill them, but…

"Well, might as well start big," Kana said sardonically. She clapped her hands together and concentrated her chakra.

"Lightning stream!" she said forcefully, and bolts of lightning shot out from her hands at all angles, travelling faster than the speed of sound. "More power… come on!" the streams got even faster, and there was no way Kakashi could dodge them by normal means.

"Geez, I'd better act fast!" he muttered, and disappeared underground with an earth-style technique.

"That doesn't matter… I don't just know lightning jutsu, you know." Kana thought for a moment, then decided to just go for the clear, dynamic and simple approach. She punched the ground with all her power, sending a shockwave though the Earth's surface and created a large fissure, exposing a completely shell-shocked Kakashi underneath.

"Now what? He can't hide from me…" she muttered.

"She certainly is powerful," the dark haired lad commented. He looked a little sallow and was surprisingly blank-faced given the situation.

"Yeah, and even Kakashi's having trouble with her!" Naruto growled.

"Kana…" a faint voice sounded.

She looked up, seeing Itachi next to her, with his hand on her shoulder, using her for support.

"Itachi, what the heck?" she said shakily, suddenly wavering in her nerve. Something was wrong. Something was _really _wrong.

"It's spreading…" he said in a husky tone. Clearing his throat, he struggled for a moment, and then straightened up. Something caught in his throat and he began coughing up blood again.

"Hey, Itachi! Seriously, stop straining yourself," Kana said quickly, trying to disregard the fact that all the Leaf Shinobi were watching them intensely.

"Let's go, Kana; the Leaf Shinobi are not on form, and neither am I, if I am honest. There's no point to this fight. Come on," he urged.

"Deserting _another _mission? Itachi, why?" This answer was obvious.

Kana stared at him for a second, hugely disappointed that she would have to stop having fun, but agreeing inside that it was probably the right thing to do. Besides, she had a hard time saying 'no' to Itachi. Although she did feel like having a battle, since it had been a while, reason dictated against that idea. This was a lucky day for the Leaf Shinobi.

"Naruto Uzumaki… may we meet one day again," he said in a warning voice with his back turned, and he began to walk swiftly until he was completely out of sight. The Leaf Shinobi made no move to catch him. Kana speculated why. They all presented an air of eerie calm.

"Well, I had better get going too. Don't think we won't be back, you Leaf scum," she cautioned, and was about to turn and trail after her sensei, when, with a start, she realised that she had been paralyzed.

"What the-"

"Shadow possession jutsu… successful," a ninja with spikey hair in a ponytail confirmed smugly.

Try as she might, Kana couldn't even move her eyelids.

"You are not going anywhere, Akatsuki member. The Leaf's shadow possession jutsu is yet to fail once." the shadow guy confirmed. "Sai, do your thing."

The pale-faced, dark-haired kid drew something on a scroll of paper with some ink, and muttered to himself, "Ninja-art."

The ink came alive and turned into what looked like a pair of black handcuffs, which he carried over and secured around her wrists behind her back.

"Dammit!" Kana cried furiously, relieved that she could still move her mouth, but outraged at the situation. "How could I be so careless? Getting caught by that pathetic level of jutsu? Man!"

She was startled to feel that tears were gathering in her eyes. Itachi was gone, probably very far away now, knowing him, and she had just been captured by the enemy.

"Calm down…" she muttered under her ragged breathing. "Think… I'm a total powerhouse… Itachi's not here. I have to think of what to do on my own. Maybe I can… let myself be captured? I can infiltrate the village then. That would be a good plan. I won't kill Kakashi, he's… well, I guess I owe him one. But the others could be killed if necessary…" Her Akatsuki-engineered brain was working in overtime, and the word 'kill' kept on popping up in her thoughts. She felt like two people right now. One was her true self, and the other was the part that was made by years as an assassin. She didn't want to kill, but her engineered logic told her that there was no other option.

"When you're done muttering, kid, we'll take you in," Kakashi announced pointedly. "Shikamaru, you can release the shadow possession. Sai's got her with his handcuffs."

Nodding, Shikamaru obliged and cautiously released his jutsu. Kana was reassured that she could breathe properly again.

"I don't like this… she was panicking a minute ago. Now she's all calm. What's up with that?" Naruto questioned.

"I am here, you know. You don't have to chat about me like I don't exist," Kana said irritably.

"We have to take her back to the Leaf. This is the first time an Akatsuki member has been captured. I'm sure Inoichi and Ibiki will get something out of her," Kakashi said.

"I don't care about the Akatsuki. I'm only there 'cause Itachi is my sensei," Kana said, and she knew this was true, even if they were not certain of her openness. She simply wanted to follow Itachi's ideals and desires at the moment. Right now, Itachi wanted to see their mission through, but it had not really gone to plan. First, because Hidan and Kakuzu were dead. Second, the Leaf Shinobi were half-dead anyway, and fighting weak opponents was not his style. Third, Itachi's illness got the better of him at exactly the wrong moment. And fourth, Kana had senselessly let herself get caught by the enemy. Itachi needed this done, so it would get done.

And then Kana found herself being lead back to the Hidden Leaf village, but this time, as a captive.

OOO

This time, Kana was being taken straight into the village through the main gate, instead of sneaking in through the barrier with a password. It made her view the village in a whole new perspective. Two men were stood at the front gate in what appeared to be their standard Shinobi attire, green flak jackets and all, with the metal forehead protectors on, but lacking the scratch through the village symbol.

"Izumo! Kotetsu!" Kakashi called, and they ran forward. "We have an Akatsuki member right here."

"What, you're joking, right? She's just a kid!" Izumo exclaimed, angering Kana. Kakashi tightened his grip on her shoulder.

"Don't be fooled… she might look younger, but she's actually fifteen years of age and as deadly as any other Akatsuki member. Don't take this kid lightly. It was pure luck that we got her here in the first place."

Izumo nodded in acknowledgement of Kakashi's words and his eyes surveyed Kana from head to toe to take in this new information. Kotetsu, on the other hand, was staring at the very dishevelled-looking platoon in front of him, especially Kakashi, who had lost his flak jacket and had scratches and cuts all over him, and simply looked exhausted. The only ones who looked remotely untouched were Yamato, Sai, and Sakura.

"I'm surprised she came so obediently," Sai commented, looked dispassionately at Kana. Kana responded by shooting a malevolent glare at him, startling him slightly. These people, they cooperated so easily! It took all Leader had to keep just nine or so Shinobi under control, and here, many ninja were talking in a civilised manner right in her presence. Kana cursed the Leaf village silently; their ways and customs would take some getting used to before she managed to kill them.

"Very well…" Kotetsu said. "Go on through. Inoichi and Ibiki will probably get something out of her in the interrogation corps."

"Interrogation? I have no intention of telling anyone anything!" Kana shouted. When Kakashi's grip tightened once again, in warning, she shrugged off his hand tetchily. "Don't worry, I won't try to make a run for it. Geez…" She felt like banging her head against the ground. Why wouldn't she just put up a fight and run? She didn't _have _to try and vanquish Akatsuki's enemies… She didn't even like being in the Akatsuki; it was just all she knew. So why was she still trying to protect them?

OOO

Kana didn't look around her on the way to the interrogation corps. Instead, the focused her attention solely on the ground in front of her, remaining in a bad mood. This was all just a little humiliating for her, even if it was part of the new plan.

"Come on, Kana. This isn't the same perky little twelve-year-old I meet three years ago!" Kakashi remarked.

"Of course not now, I've just been captured by you!" she retorted without looking. "I am still the same person, but you would be irritated too, if you had been taken captive by your enemy."

"Sure ,sure…" he said absently, and continued to lead her along, with Sai in tow. Sai wasn't worn out at all, not even from having to keep his ink handcuffs activated for so long. Shikamaru followed as well, his shadow possession at the ready, just in case. Kana didn't blame them for taking all these precautions; it would take a lot to catch her if she escaped.

"Although," he began, "I'd be willing to bet that you're more annoyed at yourself right now. After all, you could probably hold your own battle against at least two platoons of jounin Shinobi."

"Shut up! I-I was careless, that's all. Now stop talking to me… it's giving me a headache, geez."

Kakashi nodded, finding her something of a novelty right now. Kana was in a terrible mood. Her plan was simple in theory, but it would be harder to carry out. Besides, staying in this village irritated her no end, but she couldn't quite understand why.

"Okay, we're here. Shikamaru, you go and rest, you need it after what you've been through. But Sai, I need you to stay with us to keep your ink jutsu operational," Kakashi said, and Kana raised her head at last, seeing a small building, with double doors leading into it. The small sign next to the door read: Hidden Leaf village interrogation corps: Spies and criminals beware. Kana blinked in scepticism upon reading the last sentence.

"Sure, I'm leaving it to you, Sai," Shikamaru nodded at Sai.

"Yes," Sai replied awkwardly, as if he didn't know what to say.

Kana was taken into the small building, and through some dark corridors to a room with a metal door. It had a one-sided glass panel outside, so people could peer in to observe the interrogation, but the people inside could not see a thing.

Once they were inside, Sai released the handcuffs and they were replaced with real ones, only they were strange as well. These new handcuffs were broad and made of a much denser metal than normal, and Kana could have sworn that she felt them buzzing slightly. After a few minutes of wearing the new handcuffs, she began to notice that she was feeling increasingly worn out, as if all her chakra was missing.

Fantastic… she thought disdainfully. Chakra drainers disguised as handcuffs. These Leaf Shinobi aren't being careless today…

After watching Sai leave, Kana saw a very tall man stride importantly towards them. He had a bandana on his head with the metal forehead protector on the front, and he had long scars stretched over his face. Kana cringed. This guy's appearance cried out 'dangerous', whatever way she looked at him.

"Ah, Ibiki, you're here. Kana, this is Ibiki Morino. He's going to try and get some answers out of you about the Akatsuki, and about Itachi," Kakashi said, gesturing towards Ibiki, who nodded, and glowered in Kana's direction. She wanted to back away, but years in the Akatsuki had taught her not to give into emotions, and to stand her ground, so that was what she did, standing upright and looking like thunder into Ibiki's eyes.

"Go in. Now. You can go, Kakashi, thanks. I can handle this runt," he snarled, and Kakashi nodded wryly and went on his way.

Ibiki gave her a slight push into the room, and sat her down on a chair, where she was bound with ropes.

"Now, I know you're only fifteen, but you're still an Akatsuki member. I am not going easy on you. Kana, you are going to answer some questions."

"The hell I am!"

Thanks for reading! :)


	8. Chapter 8 The Hero's Shadow

**Hey guys! Thanks for waiting for me to update... I'm glad people seem to be enjoying it so far. I just hope I can keep you happy! XD Enjoy. **

**Chapter 8- The Hero's shadow**

Ibiki glared down at his cell's occupant with undiluted disgust. Kana cringed back, determined to remain loyal to Itachi and not say a word about the details of their roles in the organisation. His cold, hard eyes never left hers, and she wondered… how long she could take this.  
The chakra drainers had drank up nearly all her power, and she was barely strong enough to lift her head anymore. Ibiki had tortured her for what seemed like years, though it could only have been a day, and her body was dotted with scorch marks and weeping wounds.

"Are you done yet?" she said, breathlessly biting back the temptation to cry out in pain.

"You won't say a word! I wonder if I should let Inoichi have a look inside your mind, Akatsuki scum," he spat.

"The Akatsuki are very loyal. I'm not. Gonna. Talk! And besides, I've got genjutsu blocks by the dozen in my head, so no-one can make it in. Looks like you're not going to get your precious information at all, baldie!" There was no way he was going to get her to say a word about her or Itachi. She couldn't give a rat's ass about the Akatsuki, but she definitely could about her former sensei and current partner.

She poked her tongue out and smirked up at him. It really was a grimace of pain, but fortunately she could redirect her emotions into something more defiant-looking. Her acting was pretty good in this kind of situation, at least!

"I'll ask these things one more time. After that, we'll have to move to more extreme measures…"

"Ha, you'll get nothing out of me, ugly!"

"Kana, when did you join the Akatsuki? I find your story hard to believe."

She sighed dramatically. "I _told _you, some guy picked me up when I was a kid, about eight, and then I was trained by a member until I was twelve. Then, I was given the cloak and made an official member. Are you done with the repetitive questions yet?"

"That isn't possible. Who picked you up, then, like you claim?"

"I dunno, some masked man."

"And where was this?"

"My village."

"Where?"

"Not going to tell you. That's all you're getting. I'm not giving you anything that would affect the safety of the Akatsuki's secrecy. I sincerely apologise, Morino-sama…" she said, sniggering.

Ibiki sighed and walked over to the door. He cracked it open, letting in a line of light from the corridor outside. Kana could see small particles of dust floating in the area of light; now that she had noticed their presence, she gave a hacking cough after breathing some in. Ibiki stepped outside, and had a few nearly unintelligible words with Kakashi, who kept on glancing in her direction. At last, Ibiki remained outside and allowed Kakashi to enter, closing the door behind him.

"I hear you just haven't been talking?" Kakashi asked casually.

"Nope. They are never going to get a word out of me."

"It's impressive that you could withstand this level of pain for so long."

"Well, I've endured training a million times more painful. This is nothing," she said, covering up a wince. "It's practically kiddy play in here. I'm surprised you got information out of any criminals… ever."

Kakashi gave a slight chuckle. "It's clear then that there's nothing more we can do. Someone higher up in the village has had a meeting with our Hokage in the time you've been locked up in here. They managed to come to a decision that could change your life from now on. I put a case forward, too."

"Er, what?"

"When it was becoming clear that you wouldn't talk, a person came up with an idea. Kana, do you like the Hidden Leaf Village?"

She considered him for a second. "Well… I wouldn't say I hate it… That bastard Morino can go and die, but…"

What the hell was she thinking? She had come here to _kill _all of the people here, rid the Akatsuki of some enemies, be useful for once, not arrive and see that… well, they weren't actually as stupid and worthless as she had tried to convince herself. They were cooperative, determined, they stayed true to their goals, and… Kakashi had treated her like a real person, a normal kid, right from the start. He was here. Maybe there were others like him…  
No! She couldn't allow herself to be swayed by such unnecessary musings. She was a killer. She _liked _it that way! She screamed this conviction inside her head, overcoming her truer self.

"What the hell do you want, Kakashi?" she demanded, irritated with herself.

"Well, since you are already here, spying for the Akatsuki…"

She sighed. "You worked that out, huh?"

"… then the higher-ups saw it as a great opportunity to make you a double agent for the Leaf." Kakashi's expression changed. "I know criminals your age who are completely consumed by their hatred for this village. I've lived through it, and one of my biggest regrets is that I was not able to stop him, my own student, from walking down the path of darkness. I knew, from the first time I saw you, ready to strike me dead in this very village, that you were a pure person, stained by growing up in an environment completely wrong for you."

Kana swallowed and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She had never, not once, been talked to like this. Now she knew how Itachi felt, every time she tried to delve deeper into his true self, the intrusion he felt. Suddenly, she felt horribly guilty.

"Where is this going?" she mumbled.

"If we wait any longer, no-one will be able to save you from becoming another ruthless murderer to be stamped dead in our bingo book. I was the only one who had seen you as a child, therefore I was called to the Hokage's office a while ago. I put the case forward for you not to be killed by an ANBU assassin, however they considered it a huge risk, letting someone like you roam free, and they were entirely correct. Then, an elder suggested that you could spy on the Akatsuki from the inside, and become an agent for our village. If you complete the task of providing inside information, you can become a full-time member of the village. I know someone like you would consider that."

"What the hell sort of proposal is that?" She gaped at him in shock. "Who was this elder?"

"I must say, I didn't agree with the idea of making you a double agent, but that elder who suggested it was a man… named Danzo Shimura."

Spy on the Akatsuki… for the Leaf? Spy on Itachi… for Kakashi. But at the same time, things were going opposite ways. Although Kana knew that she was being manipulated, she could feel her defences crumbling away into dust that dissipated with the winds of change that were following.

Her life in the Akatsuki… She hadn't realised it, but it really had changed her. What was she like before she joined the Akatsuki? A loner child. Innocent, cheerful, bright, and she ran her mouth almost excessively. Oh, she was still all those things, but… That innocence was a front. The purity of her younger years had been eaten away with every murder she committed. She was a lonely, innocent child, who latched onto Itachi like a little sister, remained loyal to him, even now, and drove deep into his inner most thoughts, guessed what no other could guess.  
Now that she thought about it, she had been the _perfect _killer.  
Easily manipulated. Easily dyed with other peoples' ideals.  
This time, she would make her own choice.

"I'll do it," she said. "Not because someone asked me to, but because… I want to make sure Akatsuki is finished!"

"Really?" Kakashi blinked in surprise.

"Itachi is the one person I want to live. You Leaf people haven't a hope in hell of catching him, so I can be safe on that one. But, the people who ruined my life, ruined _me _have to pay. I… I want to try and stop killing people for no reason."

"Why the sudden change in heart? Not too long ago, you were refusing to say a word!"

"I was only protecting Itachi, for no reason at all. I know he's a good person, for sure, so I think he has nothing to worry about when the Leaf try to interrogate him."

"Kana…" Kakashi seemed to be struggling for words. "Kana, do you know why Itachi left this village?"

Her optimistic mood faded. No, she didn't know. She had no clue as to why someone like Itachi was an S-rank wanted criminal. He never gave off any desire to kill anyone, and he only fought to defend himself, or when necessary. It was always a trait she admired. He acted like a pawn for Leader, but he really seemed like a true person inside, someone who had seen far too much pain in his life. And then there was the whole business with his litter brother, Sasuke, wanting to kill him. Why? Had Itachi done something wrong? Was the reason Sasuke wanted to kill him, the same reason Itachi left the village?

"No, I don't. But… wait- tell me who this Danzo guy is!" she asked. "I just… I might…" _I might be onto something here._

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Danzo is the leader of a faction of ANBU, the assassination and spy unit of shinobi, called Root. It's a training division that takes war orphans, raises them like family, and then… trains them to kill their emotions. It's a way of creating the 'perfect' shinobi." He looked bitter. "Root uses a number of questionable tactics to protect the Leaf, such as manipulating people from this village into completely dirty or unethical missions, or killing people on the outside who may pose a threat. Kana, why are you asking this?"

"And… What did Itachi supposedly do that was bad enough to let him get kicked out?"

"He killed his entire clan. He slaughtered them, Kana, and he was thirteen at the time."

Kana was frozen, eyes wide. "He… killed them all?"

"All except his little brother."

"Sasuke!" she gasped.

"He slaughtered them, Kana. Even his parents. That's why he is a missing-nin, one of the toughest. He was the sort of ninja with skills that came once or twice in a generation, so it was no wonder… he managed it all."

Kana was struck by this news. The initial reaction was horror, disbelief, but now… Well, now she knew exactly why Sasuke was so intent on killing him. But why? Itachi seemed, underneath it all, to be a kind person. Was he the one who made her kill a little boy when she was eight? No, that was Orochimaru. And didn't she say… that she believed he was a good person, no matter what he had done in the past. _No matter what, she would stand by his beliefs. _

"I don't believe it!" she shouted, and folded her arms. "Okay, maybe he killed his family, and that was terrible, but it doesn't mean he's a bad person! Look at me, _I've _killed hundreds of people and you believe I'm a good person. Maybe he was forced into it, you don't know."

Kakashi 'hmmmed' in uncertainty. He decided to leave that conversation there. Clearly, they were going to get into an argument if he continued to press his point any further. Kana thought that if she could cry, she would be now. Itachi seemed to like this village, so she would spy on the Akatsuki for them, but on the point of whether Itachi was a good person… she would have to fiercely disagree. Oh, and ask him about it later. He was very apt at dodging personal questions, but he wasn't getting out of this one.

"I've only met one person so dedicated to their sensei…" Kakashi mused.

"Who?" She was still feeling hostility towards her acquaintance, Kakashi, and it was practically coming off her in waves.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"The Kyuubi brat?"

"He is my student, but also the student of a legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. He is a lot like you, actually… only, maybe not so sharp in the mind."

OOO

Kana's trip to the Leaf certainly had been eventful. She could never have imagined switching sides in such a short space of time… Kakashi's words had led her to seriously reconsider the very reason she was in such a depraved organisation. She had no idea of Akatsuki's true goals, and God only knew who that masked man was, the one who picked her up in the first place. The only thing she knew for sure was that somehow, her raw power was something quite special, something special enough for Akatsuki to keep an eye on for this long… The only reason she stayed was because Itachi was there. Itachi observed her growth from a distance, assisting her in any way he could, trying to keep her as pure as he could, and throughout the years, Kana grew to care for him more and more like family. She only stayed because she had been a child, wanting to remain by their guardian.

But she wasn't a child anymore.

She had to trust in Itachi, and make her own decisions. This time, he wouldn't know about her mission. She laughed sardonically; it was her turn to be the secretive one, now.

As the Chakra drainers were removed, Kana's wrists smarted from the pain. The good thing was that she could feel her power returning. Kakashi watched her expressions, watched her actions, poised to act at any moment, in case she changed her mind.

"Kana, Danzo is coming to see you. He is the one who suggested your mission, the one who wants you to spy for us," Kakashi explained.

"I'm sure… If Danzo uses people, maybe he used Itachi too! It's impossible to believe he murdered that many people without a good reason…"

"Whatever, Kana. Just be prepared. Danzo is…"

"I'm used to difficult people, don't you worry!" She decided. Her bad mood couldn't last forever. Act happy, she told herself.

There was a single knock at the door.

"It's open, Lord Danzo," Kakashi said respectfully.

The door opened slowly, and an old man entered, shuffling across the floor, supported by a knobbly wooden stick. His robes came down to the floor and nearly half of his face was covered up by a strange, hastily applied bandage, which came over his dull, lank hair. Kana looked at him with no emotion. So this was the man who was giving her this strange mission. Why on Earth would he suggest such a thing?

"Kakashi Hatake. It has been a long time," Danzo said. He nodded in greeting. He didn't smile. He had a look of self-importance about him, which Kana disliked straight away. "And this is the young Akatsuki member, Kana."

"Hi there," Kana said, adding a high pitched giggle. Why was she insanely nervous around this guy? She had dealt with _Leader, _for crying out loud. "Are you Lord Danzo, the one who suggested I become a spy for the Leaf?"

"I'll do the talking, so stay silent and listen." Kana smirked. Not even he could get her to do that. "I am Danzo, head of the Root Division. When I heard that a young girl had been taken in for questioning, I was curious, so I headed to that Hokage's office. Kakashi Hatake was making a ridiculous claim- that you weren't a bad person, that you deserved a chance to become a real shinobi, not a pawn for something you did not believe in. I intervened at this juncture. Such claims are unrealistic in this world, but I did have an idea forming in my mind…"

"What was that?" Kana felt oddly touched by Kakashi's claim.

"I suggested that, in order to prove your allegiance, you should be able to provide information for us that would lead to the eventual capture and ceasing of all of the Akatsuki's activities. Important intel, intel we can use. If you do that, the elders would consider you to be working for our village."

"But then-" she spluttered, "-You're just manipulating me into giving you something, and all I get in return is a warrant issued to _not _kill me! Isn't that what you're saying? That's plain dirty!"

"Kana…" Kakashi warned.

"No, Kakashi! That is… I still don't know if I can be a normal ninja, but I don't want to be used, either!"

"You have been used your entire life; why not now?" Danzo said mildly.

He had touched nerve. "Not my whole life!"

"You mean you don't know-? No, you wouldn't. Anyway, you have until three days from now to consider our proposal. If we have not received word from you by then, you are considered a traitor and you will be executed."

And with that, Danzo left the room.

"Why would he suddenly want a criminal as part of this village?" Kakashi mused to himself. "Danzo isn't the sort of man to actively endanger the village."

"He is like that man…"

"What man?" he said sharply.

Kana visibly shuddered. "No-one. Just the masked man who took me away from my village when I was a kid."

Kakashi look staggered. "Masked man? Kana… We've seen him before!"

"You have? Oh yeah, I forgot you're hunting us all down," she said, smirking. "He's such a creep…"

"Oh? He seemed like a complete idiot to us."

She slapped her hand to her mouth. "You met Tobi- the person he pretends to be. Really he's…" Something caught in her throat.

"What? What is he really, Kana?"

"I don't know what he is. He picked me up from my village when I was a kid, just after something terrible happened to me. He told me I had particular powers he could use in the future, and then handed me to Itachi. It seems like he's the leader, not Leader-sama!"

Kakashi frowned. "Why would such powerful people like Danzo and the masked man of the Akatsuki be interested in you? This doesn't bode well, Kana…"

"I've tried not to think about it that much, but… It seems like I'm being used at every turn and I don't know why. I was just a normal kid!"

"I know, Kana, I know. At any rate, you had better leave this place now."


	9. Chapter 9 Itachi's Feelings

Hey guys :) Thanks in advance for reading. Your feedback is always appreciated. :) Enjoy this next chapter!

**Chapter 9- Itachi's Feelings**

Kana stood at the gates of the village. She was in a much better mood now than the one she arrived in, thanks to getting rather a lot off her chest. About the deciding within a matter of seconds to switch her allegiance, and discussing a few important topics with Kakashi. Now that they had touched some nerves, hit a few sore spots, the air around them while they talked seemed clearer. She felt like, this time, she had changed a little. She had started considering the reasons for her life and work, and it was making her head spin.  
Oh well, there was no use worrying about it. That just wasn't her style.

"Remember, if you learn anything about Akatsuki's plans, report it to us right away," Kakashi reminded her for the twentieth time.

"Yeah yeah, I promise, alright?" she grinned. "I'm so good at acting, they'll never guess!"

"I highly doubt that, but seriously, do your best. You don't want to be a part of them anymore, right? Then this is you golden opportunity."

"I will. I'll definitely find out the truth about Itachi while I'm at it, too."

"How did you manage, being raised by a…"

"A murderer?" she asked lightly, and then smiled to herself. "I don't know… It wasn't all that bad… If he's a bad person at heart, you can have my head."

She nodded with conviction, swivelled round, and took some steps. She had no pack, and no tools, insisting that she would find food somehow; she could fight well enough with a rock in her palm, and she didn't need kunai or shuriken. Her black cloak, embossed with the red clouds, fluttered in the strengthening wind, and her hair whipped across her face. _Well, _she thought, _if I don't need kunai or shuriken… If I'm good enough for that, maybe I am pretty powerful. I kinda wish I wasn't. Maybe then people would stop using me to do bad things._

"I'll be back soon. See ya, Kakashi!" she yelled, and shot off into the distance.

OOO

"Geez, that Danzo bastard… He's such a shady character… I think I don't even care if I'm being used or not. I'll do what I want."

Travelling alone was nowhere near as fun. Okay, travelling with Itachi wasn't exactly a picnic, what with the constant training, the missions, and the sleeping on cold, hard ground, but having a companion on her travels definitely helped. She mused about her first few weeks of travelling. She was too small to keep going for long, and needed a lot of sleep. She had cried about sleeping in dirt, and her muscles had ached like crazy.  
It had been a few days since she had left the Lead, and she was covering a lot of ground. She was out of the Fire country, heading west to the village hidden in the Rain. She could sense Itachi's chakra even from this distance- he wasn't far from the Rain village, so that was the direction in which she would head.

After another day of hiking, Kana saw with a leap in her stomach the tall, dark figure of Itachi approaching her. She felt like crying out loud from joy, but instead chose to run immediately to his side.

"Itachi! I'm so glad I'm back with you again…" she said, breathing a sigh of relief. He didn't respond. "Are you alright? You don't seem too well."

"I am perfectly alright. Kana. Did they interrogate you?"

"Yep, but I didn't say a word!"

"You seem different."

"I could say the same to you!"

"No, you seem… satisfied with something. Like you've obtained confidence from somewhere. Did the Hidden Leaf change you that much? Did you enjoy yourself there too much?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say it was an eventful visit. Did you know they kept chakra drainers in their prison cells? Oh yeah, and that Kakashi's really not a bad a guy. He took those handcuffs off me. They all work together in a team, and cooperate well. It isn't something I've seen before."

"Yeah," Itachi agreed. "I suppose you could say… It's an easy place to love. Despite its many flaws, that is."

"Do you love it there, Itachi?"

Itachi didn't reply straightaway. He didn't reply on topic, either. "… Kana, we must hurry now. We've spent a lot of time dawdling here, talking. We have to move."

His mouth was pressed into a line and Kana felt that once again, she had trodden into forbidden territory with him.

A little irritated, she said, "Fine. Why is that?"

"Because… There is something urgent that needs to be addressed."

"Er, right… what?"

"Just walk, Kana. Enough with the questions."

"Stop being so damn cryptic!"

OOO

Later on, the sun had set and once again, Kana found herself and Itachi looking for the best place to lie on the ground and sleep. She had been doing this for years, but not until now did she ever wonder what it was like to sleep in a bed. She had been so used to the ground that the thought of sleeping in a bed seemed completely alien. She liked sleeping out in nature, anyway. The risk of being attacked by enemy ninja was just a small part of it; anyway, with their power, she doubted very much that anyone would show up and present much of a challenge.

"Itachi?"

"What is it, Kana?"

"You seem down. What's wrong? You've been acting so weird since I got out of the Leaf." _You're acting like you were when I first met you. You're different._

A shadow passed over his face. "Nothing's the matter."

"That thing you have to attend to, to hurry to… what is it?"

"It's an invitation."

"To what?"

"It's nothing…"

"But you seem really worried! Seriously Itachi, you're scaring me. What is wrong with you?"

His jaw hardened and he looked away. Kana frowned. He had become increasingly quiet and broody, the further away they got from the village, the closer they got to whatever invitation he was attending to. Think, she told herself, think. What was wrong? It wasn't like Itachi to allow his mood to affect others. It was something important, something that worried him. An invitation… The only person outside Akatsuki who knew Itachi well was… Sasuke.

"Itachi, what really happened the night of your clan's murder?"

He did a sharp intake of breath. "How did you find out about that?"

"Kakashi told me. I… were you manipulated into doing it? I said this all along… I've never believed you were a bad person, and I'll stand by that statement. Was it… was it Danzo of the Leaf? Did he tell you to? I don't understand why, but I had this theory and you see…"

A wry smile curled around the edges of his lips and he closed his eyes. He faced the sky and opened them again, this time, with his Mangekyou sharingan activated. Kana felt her heart tighten, until she saw his saddened expression.

"Kana, did you know that I can barely see out of these eyes now?"

"No! You never told me…"

"You see, I thought I would be able to see my own path clearly forever, see my brother's path forever… I thought I was in control. Now you see my eyesight is almost completely deteriorated. Your eyes are better than mine, Kana, in more ways than that obvious that I saw once. You guessed what no-one else could guess. I'll tell you nothing in detail about that night, but it is imperative that you tell not a soul of what you have guessed."

"Itachi, what are you saying?" she replied with a nervous giggle, but unsmiling. "You're acting so odd… Wait, was I right?"

"Kana, I'm dying. You know that. So, as a last wish, please retain the Uchiha's honour for me."

"You will _not _die if I have anything to do with it! I'd swim to the ends of the planet to find a better medicine to stop you from dying of that disease."

"Kana… we're humans, not fish. Merely humans."

OOO

As Kana curled up for the night, Itachi stayed sat up, still staring up at the night sky, thinking about something even she couldn't discern. Maybe she'd never know the reason for his odd behaviour. He seemed deeply saddened by something, he wanted to tell her something, but stopped himself, or he couldn't quite find the right words.  
Kana pretended to fall asleep. The gentle cacophony of the nocturnal creatures was highly distracting tonight.

Soon, Kana felt a strange suction of air coming from nearby. It was as if, someone was tightening the air in a certain area. After only a few seconds, the air loosened again, and she felt the magnitude of a presence that sent chills of dread cascading down her spine. She discreetly wrapped her cloak up by her head to stop him from entering her line of sight.

"Hello, Madara. Or Tobi." Itachi's monotonous voice sounded.

"Itachi, it's nearly time for the end, isn't it? After all your effort, you are finally going to get your wish. You are too gentle to be a shinobi, Uchiha."

"Just get to the point. Why are you here?" His voice rang with tension.

"By now, you have probably guessed who, or what, Kana is. You have probably known for a long time."

"I saw it the day she made her first kill. It seems to only be activated when she is in severe distress. I've never seen anything like it."

"As such, it's time for me to take her off your hands, then. You did a fair job, Itachi, of it all… but it might have been too good a job. We'll never be able to hold her down long enough… No matter. You fulfilled your mission very well."

"It wasn't merely a mission. It seems that, this time, it was both me and Kana that were being used… because of our uncommon eye natures, and our uncommon hearts."

"Itachi… Enough idle chat, now. It's time for you to go. You have sustained your life with medicine for long enough, and it's time to transfer your focus to your brother now. He's been waiting for seven years."

"I meant for it to be this way; it was my goal from the very beginning."

"My goal can now go into place. I've kept my word for long enough. The Leaf is now no longer under your protection, Itachi. If you die tonight, you know it means, don't you?"

Itachi gritted his teeth. "Don't lay a finger on my village."

"Well, you've let me see your true side, now? I know everything about you now."

"Damn you, Madara…"

"Enough idle chatter. Time for you to go. Goodbye, Itachi."

Kana squinted open an eye, to see the masked man form a spiral in the air, twist it, and suck himself into the gap between the dimensions, disappearing after a few seconds.

Itachi sighed. "It's time."

Kana snapped open her eyes, gritted her teeth and rose very quickly. It didn't matter what Madara had been saying about her. Maybe it would have intrigued her if she hadn't just heard Itachi agree to leave her, just like that! What in hell was so important that he had to leave to do it?

"What the hell, Itachi?!" she growled, fists clenched.

"Kana, what are you doing awake?"  
He sounded weary. He approached slowly, looking different again to what he did before she was captured by the Leaf.

"Itachi, what are you talking about? Does this have something to do with Sasuke? You can't just up and leave like this. 'If you die tonight'… What? Are you going to fight your brother?"

"Don't get yourself involved with these problems, Kana. It won't end well." He didn't raise his voice at all, but still, Kana felt an odd flicker of fear coming from the man in front of her.

"I don't understand…" she mumbled.

"Everything will be clear one day. Don't let it worry you."

"Don't go, Itachi." _It's a selfish wish, I know, but…_

"We'll make a deal then. Well, think of it as a promise from me…" He closed his eyes. "Our paths will cross again, in the future. They will. "

Kana swallowed and nodded wordlessly.

"Go back to sleep, Kana, so your face is peaceful again."

She couldn't argue with a tone that sounded so sad. She turned over, curled up and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

OOO

ITACHI'S VIEW

"Kana…" he said absentmindedly.

He reached over into his pack and felt around inside until he extracted a scroll and a pen.

"I have to leave this, at the very least."

He held the pen hovering over the blank page for a moment and pressed his lips together in thought, before putting pen to paper and writing his farewells.

OOO

The hideout was as enormous and rustic as he remembered. The Uchiha crest stood proudly on the outside of the building, and inside was a tangle of ivy, weeds and dampness, with a single, once grand throne at the far end, furthest away from any light.

The sun began to rise, sending Itachi's features into brightness, before he descended further back into the building. He set eyes on the cracked stone throne, and smiled wryly to himself. He put his hands in the pockets of his cloak and slumped himself in the seat of the king, leaning on one elbow on the arm of the throne.

As he heard the measured footsteps, caught vague sight of the younger brother's figure moving slowly towards him, he shut his eyes.

"What do you see, when you look at me with those sharingan of yours, little brother?" he muttered.

"What do I see? I see your death, brother."

"You see my death? Well, try to make that a reality… Forgive me, Sasuke."


	10. Chapter 10 Phoenix Flower Tribute

Hey guys! Chapter 10 is here, so please enjoy and tell me what you thought! ^_^ If you thought the last chapter was sad... there is no let up. More angst/sadness coming up D:

**PART II- KANA**

**Chapter 10- Phoenix Flower Tribute**

Kana woke with a jolt. It felt like she had been falling fast, and just as she was about to hit the ground, something shot through her body and woke her up. Nothing like fear to start someone's day. The sun hadn't even risen yet; its edges were creeping slowly above the low cloud surrounding the forest.

She rubbed her sore eyes and rose from the ground.

"Itachi? Wait… Oh." _No… He went, didn't he?_ "No… No!"

Realisation dawned upon her. Where the hell did he go? What the hell was he thinking? Why the hell was that masked freak here earlier? Her head was going to explode pretty soon. Right underneath her black mass of 'just woke up' hair. Not a pleasant scene. She thought that she should stop imagining these things playing out. It might drag her further away from humanity.

She groped around her pack for a hairbrush, becoming increasingly frustrated that it didn't make an appearance. Instead, she found something curious.  
Her hand pulled out a scroll, hastily tied in a single knot with a piece of string, entitled: _For Kana._

As her shaking hands undid the string, fear was in her belly like a coiling snake. The writing started full of crossings out. She gulped, and began to struggle through reading the note.

_Kana-_

_When you read this, I will be _

_I am very sorry, but_

_No words can express how much I wish to write in_

_I've gone to fight Sasu_

_This letter was at first intended to contain everything I should have said to you in the past, and to inform you of current events, however that seems to have backfired on me and I find myself writing what I want to. Perhaps it is better that way._

_The day the masked man brought you to me, I was younger than you are now and full of pain. I was determined to remain committed to my plan until the end. I was convinced that having you in my life would be a burden, until I saw your face. You have been like a younger sister to me, and for that, I am grateful._

_You cannot know who you are yet- that is something I can't disclose this way. But know this: _You _were the only person who tried hard to know me, and I can never thank you enough for the efforts, but as you are reading this, it means that your indescribable presence has not changed my resolve. From the beginning, I wanted to die. _

_You guessed correctly, and it troubles me to put this down on paper so openly, as I am not a person who easily reveals his inner most secrets and thoughts, but I have a feeling that you will get yourself into obscene amounts of trouble just to find an answer to your question. _

_Danzou Shimura was indeed the one who orchestrated the clan's annihilation and my figurative demise at the time. The Uchiha clan were about to spark a civil war that would end many lives and throw the Leaf into turmoil, therefore if I refused to kill the clan, I may have ended up endangering the lives of many innocent people. If I did kill the clan, Danzou promised to protect my little brother Sasuke.  
The choice was agonising and the decision I made was the same. Of course, I could never forget that night._

_Always know that I never intended to go on living, and thank you for trying. _

_What I did was terrible, Kana, and if I am to die it should be at Sasuke's feet._

_That is where I have gone._

_Don't come after me._

_Go to the Leaf. They can protect you from Madara, and you them. I love the village dearly, so please cooperate with them. You will do well there. The Akatsuki is no place for you. Life is for the alive, Kana. Remember the promise._

_-Itachi Uchiha_

Kana's hands tightened into fists and screwed the letter up into a ball.

"Dammit, Itachi…" she growled, "DAMMIT!"

Grief threatened to overwhelm her. She threw the letter at a tree and felt an unfamiliar sensation- tears fell thick and fast down her cheeks unchecked, and she let them fall. She raised her hand to touch them, and confirmed, yes, she really was crying for him. Her big brother.

"Why? You left me here? You weren't even going to tell me? Ever? You wrote me a _letter?_"

Crying was such an odd thing. She knew that it was a body's natural reaction to protect the eyes from harm, but why did people do it when they were upset or happy? The mechanics of it just didn't work out. She rubbed her eyes in anger, her mouth pressed into a line to try and stop the tears coming.

Still… There was no guarantee that he would die. He did say that he would fight Sasuke, but was he really so sure that that meant his imminent death? Hope ran through her like a lifeline.

Guiltily, she went to the tree, bent down and picked up the screwed up letter. She mumbled a hasty apology before stuffing it into the pocket inside her skort. After picking up her pack, she was left with an uncomfortable reality- she truly was alone, now.

The forest around her seemed to grow in density. Volume built with the noises of birds and other creatures, maybe ninja too, and it was deafening.

"Itachi, why? I wanted you to live…"

He must have cared about his brother so much. She still didn't understand quite why he felt the need to die in front of him, but hell, what went on in his head was a mystery to all. He had to have a good reason though, to go that far.

"No, I won't let it happen. I'll go there myself!"

She had to stop him from dying, or at the very least, find out why. Maybe she would see Sasuke too.  
That was settled. She sniffed and dried her eyes on her sleeves, and went to pick up her cloak. After she slipped in her arms, she noticed that the sleeves were short- almost halfway up her forearms. It was her first and only cloak, so her growth was of no surprise, but… it was the first time Kana realised that she was outgrowing it. Shaking her head, she fastened it at her chest, picked up her pack and ran.

Having a keen sense for chakra was never more useful that it was now. If Itachi was near, she would know it. The path ahead was clear and straight, so Kana closed her eyes and felt her mind empty everything, and enter a state of near complete stillness, even as her feet skimmed across the terrain. She threw out her consciousness into the open, and felt, very distantly, a glow.

Itachi. Very, very far away. There was another chakra, too, probably Sasuke's. Itachi's chakra was draining rapidly, shrouded by a technique from his sharingan. No, his mangekyou. His chakra was screaming in pain, just to sustain the technique was agony and yet it was all that was protecting him. Kana needed to move faster, or she wouldn't make it in time.

On she ran, and the signal was getting clearer. She entered rocky terrain, and was forced to snap open her eyes. It was fine, though. She could feel him close.  
But no… Something was wrong. The chakra surrounding Itachi was waning, dissolving. Sasuke's was almost at zero. She now had to stop running and concentrate, just to feel them out again.

"Itachi, please…"

And it was gone. Nothing left but a minute portion of Sasuke.

"Itachi, don't die!"

Kana swore and bolted forward, getting fast until her legs started burning from the strain. This couldn't be happening, this tiny ration of hope was just a fake?! She had to hurry, if only to see him one last time…

The sky darkened quickly, and in the distance, Kana saw something spectacular: a monstrosity of a building with an Uchiha crest emblazoned on the front, completely covered in flickering jet black flames. The surrounding woodland was just as ravaged, and even the boulders and rocks were burning under the fire.

"What the hell happened here?" she growled. As she stepped forward, she felt something underneath her foot. Shivers ran through her as she lifted her foot, setting free a slippery white snake. "Orochimaru…? He left, so how…?"

She shook herself and ran towards where she had last felt his chakra. A tall rock stood before her, with a pair of Uchiha crests, cracked in hundreds of places, and lying face-down at the bottom, hugging the ground, was Itachi.

Moving was nigh impossible. Her legs felt like blocks of lead. She fell to her knees and numbly turned over his body, to see the ghost of his final smile, still painted there. His eyes were closed, peaceful. He looked satisfied. Had he gotten what he wanted? Had he chosen his death with dignity?  
Despite his face, in his blissful expression, she could see a terrible sadness. It reminded her of the pain in her own body. Itachi had ended, so what wouldn't it all stop? It would be better if she were dead too, then the pain would end… Instead, she switched off.  
Her entire body was numb. She was now barely aware of herself as she cradled his lifeless body, barely aware of the passing of time, too dazed to even shed any more tears for him. Yes… this was the sadness that came with losing someone precious. It had been a long time since her body had to deal with such emotion. She had softened.

She laid her head on Itachi's chest and closed her eyes to be comforted by her surrogate brother's presence, touching him for the last and longest time. She didn't want to open her eyes.

She would numb the pain until there was nothing.

Such was this numbness that she didn't notice the warping of space in front of her. As Madara wormed out of the distortion, he watched her in fascination for some time.

"Kana," he said, out of the blue.

She ignored him.

"Kana."

"What?" she cried, still clutching Itachi, refusing to let go or even look at Madara. "What is it?"

"In this reality, many will die. Itachi was simply another unfortunate life lost to the world of the shinobi…" he muttered.

"No! He was more important than that. He was…"

"Soon, his memory will fade into nothing, exactly the way he intended it to. Do not mess this up for him, Kana. He wished to die a criminal. He wished to make Sasuke a hero of the Hidden Leaf village by making it look like he killed him."

"That can't happen. He deserves more. Just get lost, before I kill you!"

"You know you can't do that. I know you're angry with me and with him, and believe it or not, it will pass. My presence probably knocked you out of that numb kind of trance, at least, but try to see reason."

"Go to hell!" She felt her mind going blank as it had in the past, with blind rage, and the next few moments were a blur, like there was fire in her head that was preventing her from thinking clearly.

Before she knew it, Madara had her, holding both her arms behind her back in an iron grip, restraining her until she stopped resisting.

"Releasing that won't make any difference. If anything, it will get worse if you don't have someone to watch over you."

He released his grip on her and she fell to the ground, exhausted. Madara bent down, touched Itachi's chest and warped him into nothing.

"Get your filthy hand off him," she said breathlessly.

"It's a bit late for that, Kana." He stared down at Itachi's body, his face unreadable. "I ought to tell you, for your sake, that Itachi was not defeated."

She sniffed, "What?"

"He collapsed near the end due to his poor health. The fight was what killed him. You know as well as I do that he was keeping himself alive by force, just long enough to do this. He was almost blind by the time the fight started, and he was shaking, barely able to dodge most of the attacks, and he kept coughing up blood throughout. He was in a greatly weakened state."

"Why would he do this, though? I just don't understand."

"You'll find out one day, when you come to know more secrets of the sharingan. Just know now that it pertains to keeping his brother, Sasuke, safe. Now, Are going to come with me and see Sasuke and continue to be a part of what can eventually give you what you wish for? Or will you not?"

She shook her head, and stood up steadily. She clenched her fists, and gave Madara once fleeting look of hatred before bolting in the direction of the village hidden in the leaves.

OOO

Life is for the alive, Kana. That was what he had said to her. Was she going to stain his words by going back to a depraved organisation that ruined her childhood? Not a chance. Tears kept threatening to surface, but she commanded them back down again. As she turned around and looked back toward the very distant black flames, a new wave of sadness hit her. She couldn't leave without saying a proper goodbye.

"Itachi… I know I was a brat as a kid. I was reckless, hyperactive and way too much chakra packed into a little girl, but I'm glad you put up with me. You taught me to fight, and although you tried to keep it bottled up, you also taught me what a true shinobi does. They don't boast or arrogantly proclaim their power; the protect people silently and honourably and without want for glory. You were a good shinobi, one of the best ever. Whatever the circumstances, Itachi… I'm glad to have met you. I promise to protect what you loved. Goodbye, brother."

She concentrated her chakra, and raised the tiger sign to her lips once more.

"Phoenix flower jutsu!"

The scarlet flames shot into the night time air, creating miniature fireworks in the navy sky.

Thus far after walking away, she had managed to reign in the stubbornly ever-present tears, but as the next day's sun rose, Kana could no longer hold them in. She could feel her world blackening, and the last thing she remembered was stumbling exhausted towards the gates of the Leaf, straight into Kakashi's arms.


	11. Chapter 11 The Outsider

**Hey! Sorry it's taken SO long to update... I hope you enjoy chapter 11, and if you do, please review! :D There's a sweet convo with Sai in this chapter (I adore Sai, so had to make him important... hope you agree!) Thank you.**

**Chapter Eleven- The Outsider**

When Kana forced open her eyes, it was so bright that she was convinced for a moment that she had gone blind. Where she was currently lying was mystery, but it wasn't as if, in her current state, she cared. The air around her was warm and comfortable, and it smelled of flowers mixed with medicine. Her head was on something soft and white, and when she looked upwards, the glare was even more blinding.

Her mind was still in a daze, so she lay unmoving for a while, listening to the general hubbub in the distance; children laughing and shouting far away, and on the other side of a door, people conversing. She heard the faint clinks of trolleys and vials being arranged. Birds sang outside and their chatter, laced in with all else that Kana could hear, made the start to her day very noisy.

When the door in front of her opened, and a person walked in, she opened her eyes some more and blinked away the spots. She looked up into a single black eye on a face covered with a mask. His silver hair was fought back with a Leaf forehead protector and he was holding a book.

"Kakashi-" she began, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"I didn't expect you to wake up so quickly, Kana. It's only been a few hours since you got here. The higher-ups have been running around in a panic over how to approach the situation."

She nodded. She wasn't in a particularly talkative mood, as her mind was almost fully focused on trying to figure out what had happened. A continuous buzz muffled any access to information in her brain. She thought back… she passed out when she saw Kakashi at the gates, having run from… She cast the Phoenix flower jutsu for…

"Itachi!" she burst out, and threw off the covers. Kakashi held her back from escaping with considerable difficulty. "Let me go, you idiot!"

"You need to rest for a while. You were in a pretty bad way when you got here."

"But Itachi's… he's…"

"Kana," he said, sitting her back down, "Why did you come back here? Moreover, why did you come back here like this?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's brother- you know him, right?" Kakashi nodded. "They fought, and Itachi… he died."

"Sasuke killed Itachi? Are you serious?"

"No!" she said angrily. "Itachi would never be killed by scum like him! He just… died."

"Whatever you say, little Kana." He waved a hand in dismissal.

"Call me little again, and I will crush you."

"Sure, sure…"

"I am not in the mood, Kakashi Hatake! Geez, I'm out of here. I can't stand being locked up like this."

Kana bit back more tears and dodged Kakashi, advancing for the window. She smashed the glass with her fist, sending broken pieces ricocheting across the room. This distraction was a least sufficient enough to let her escape. Jumping from the second floor was simple enough, so after that, she was running through the Leaf village in her torn-up clothes as fast as her tired legs would allow.

She was sure that, by now, if Kakashi had really wanted to stop her, he would have at least tried to chase after her. Instead, she was being allowed to roam free. Well, that suited her. Anything to distract her from the death of the person she valued. She didn't want to think of Itachi's body, his bloody, motionless, smiling corpse. Not of cradling that lifeless body for a long time, knowing that she was truly alone now. Not of him felled and dying from illness, forcing himself to fight his younger brother who was fixated on revenge. The Itachi she respected and valued was quiet, taciturn and undoubtedly wise. He was the most honest liar anyone could know, and he protected what he loved with silent determination. Yes, that was what she wanted to remember. His legacy, rather than his death, was what was important here.

She considered this as she sat on a wall in a decidedly quiet corner of the village, surrounded only by the cobble path in front of her and the trees behind. She looked up in the sky and saw a cloud curiously shaped like a bird. More specifically, a crow. She swallowed and clenched her fists. So he was still watching over her, right now. Later on, this would have been comforting to know, but right now it just confirmed his death.

"Am I really at home here?" she mumbled to herself. "I've spent my whole life as someone who doesn't quite fit in… Why would the Leaf be any different? I like it here, but…"

But she was so different from them. She hadn't been born or raised there, and now she was barging in, trying to prove her worth and bargain her way into their ranks. She predicted that she would be met with at least a moderate level of hostility from the ninja; the general public weren't to know any better, unless any of them remembered her being dragged in for questioning. The ninja would never accept her, especially since Itachi was her Akatsuki partner…

"I've never seen you before."

Kana almost fell backwards off the wall. She swivelled round and jumped off, to find a young man sat against it, a sketchpad propped on his legs. She eyed him suspiciously for a moment as he stared back with a completely blank expression. His face was sheet white and she had never seen hair as inky black as his; It was like he himself was a sketchpad. His face was familiar somehow, but the memory of his identity escaped her.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, a little ruffled at being scared so easily.

"Good morning. My name is Sai," he said pleasantly, holding out his hand. Kana shook it hesitantly.

"What are you doing sat against a wall?"

"Is it not obvious?"

"I guess so."

"Don't you remember me? I was one of the people who detained you after we defeated Hidan and Kakuzu of the Akatsuki. I held you in the ink handcuffs back to the village."

She clapped her hands together. "Oh, yeah! You didn't really talk much, so I guess it took something like you telling me to jog my memory."

"Sorry," he said meekly. Kana couldn't help but feel a tiny pang of guilt where before there would have been disdain.

"It's not your fault I didn't remember you, you idiot!" she laughed in spite of herself. "So you draw casually as well as for your jutsu, do you? Do you like it, then?"

"Do I like it? It's something I am good at, and it is useful in ninjutsu. I've done it since I was very young, and I've been told I have a talent for it. Is that the same as liking it?"

"Well, yeah, I think so…" What a strange person. He acted like he was born yesterday. Sociable wasn't a trait she considered herself to have, but Kana was feeling in an odd mood that made her want to talk. It was a distraction, at least.

Sai seemed to be thinking hard about something, his brow furrowed and his mouth pressed into a line while he eyed his half-done drawing of a flower. He looked up and faced her, his Adam's apple bobbing. "What do you like doing in your spare time?" he asked.

Kana narrowed her eyes. From what she could tell so far, this wasn't something he usually said- he was making an effort to continue the conversation. What did she like doing? Most of her time was spent training, talking with Itachi, trying to collect jinchuuriki, or doing some other travelling. There was not a lot of time for hobbies.  
She wringed her hands and sighed, "I suppose practising ninjutsu would be something I like, but other than that, I don't have any hobbies. I can't read very well, and I guess I don't have any spare time to do things other people would do."

"I never had any spare time either. All I did was draw and train, and quite often they coincided with one another." His voice was pleasant, but Kana heard the mild longing.

"Why are you using the past tense? What's different now?"

"Well, I was recruited into Team Kakashi to replace Sasuke Uchiha. I've been relieved of my duties as a member of ANBU's Root division for some time now, for the foreseeable future."

"Sasuke?" she said sharply. "He was on Kakashi's team before you? Are you serious?"

Sai blanched at her sudden raised voice. "Yes, that's right. After Sasuke turned traitor and Naruto returned from training, the team was left short of one person."

"Right, I see. Sasuke really was a criminal then…" All the more reason she loathed him. "And you got picked out of everyone."

"I was picked to join them by my superiors for rather specific reasons."

"And they were…?"

"I was in Root," he said hastily, "and they needed a highly skilled member of ANBU. They were worried that the seal keeping the demon inside Naruto is weakening."

"Do you prefer being in a team rather than working where you did before?"

Sai gave a small smile, and she could see a shine in his eyes. "Yes, I do. It's an atmosphere I enjoy."

She nodded. If he didn't want to tell her the details of his past, that was fine, but she was certainly curious to know more about ANBU and Root… those names rang a bell, somewhere in the back of her head, but she couldn't quite place where she'd heard them before. Maybe she would ask another time- it might not be a topic people talked about in their first conversations. How would she know? Her first conversation with Itachi was her first training session.

"I thought you were a fugitive," he commented.

"Well, I'm not now," she snapped. "They let me go on the condition that I spy on Akatsuki or delay their plans. I tried, but I'm not sure the insignificant bits of information I sent were enough. Being a double agent is tough."_ Wasn't it, Itachi? _

"Yes, it is."

"I don't know if they'll let me stay…" The fear in her voice was too obvious. She covered it up with a laugh, but it came out as a nervous giggle. "I could end up killing all of you." In their point of view, she could turn on them and kill them, but… could anyone other than Itachi reign in her powers, whatever they were? Having him as a constant, she rarely lost her temper and he trained her well enough to use her power in a constructive way. The superfluous chakra still prevented her from relaxing, but it had been good. Now what?

"Yes, you could. I don't know very much about you, but you seem to have some past experiences related to mine, and you don't seem to regard the Leaf with hate."

No, he was right. She didn't hate them. This was somewhere she wanted to be.

"I'd better get going," she said quickly, and got to her feet. She brushed off the dirt from her skort and ran off again.

That Sai was strange, unlike any person she had met before. His story must have been a long and complicated one, but Kana counted on her surprisingly sharp ability to deduce things- and people- to lead her to some truth about him. Just like she had with Itachi, and she had been right, after all.

She was nearing the edge of the river, when a disturbing chakra caught her attention. It was the chakra of an ordinary man, but it was shrouded with some other, ancient power, and also… yes, also an eye technique. It was mixed up and twisted, and masked with deadly determination.

She turned around swiftly, and a man was stood in front of her. He was very old, and his face was wrapped up in many places with white bandages, revealing one of his eyes and hiding the other, and he was dressed in draping robes, walking with a stick. His eye was almost closed- she could barely make contact with them. His expression was impossible to read.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am Danzou."

"Danzou- wait!" Danzou Shimura, the head of… the head of the Root faction of ANBU! Suddenly all the information Kakashi had previously told her came rushing into her head. So this was Sai's superior, the person who ordered Itachi, then her to spy and be double agents. What a crook. This meant that Sai, being in Root , was raised in that inhumane way, told to kill his emotions, forced into specialised training and unethical missions for the sake of the village. Why were the elders so cruel?

"You are to come with me."

"Why should I?"

"Because it is to be decided- whether you are going to be staying in the Hidden Leaf a moment longer."

Kana agreed to go with him, but walked as far away from him as she could without losing sight. He led her through the back alleys instead of through the centre of the village, and they ended up walking the perimeter, all the way to an enormous red building. Kana peered up at it, shielding the sun from her eyes, wondering what it was for. She heard the distance chatter of children coming from inside, followed by a few isolated and stern adult voices.

"This is the Leaf ninja academy. The Hokage's office is at the top," Danzou said, almost spitting out the word 'Hokage' with marked contempt.

She nodded and entered the building. The stairs were seemingly endless, and this time Danzou insisted on walking directly behind her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. At last the reached the office, and Kana opened the door.

In front of her was who she assumed was the Hokage, trying to remember if they had actually met, a stern-looking, thin lipped man and woman, several jounin and two men in cloaks. They all regarded her with emotionless, scrutinising faces. Danzou cleared his throat behind her and she stumbled further in, wringing her hands which were becoming coated with sweat. She could feel her mouth going as dry as the desert.

"Kana," greeted the Hokage. "I assume you're healing well, considering you're up and about so fast."

"I heal fast," Kana replied with awkwardness.

"How dare you not address the Hokage without the proper honorifics," the old lady scolded. Kana's jaw hardened.

"_Lady _Hokage…" she amended.

"The small amounts of inside information you have been sending have been of some use," the Hokage said, "We believe it will be helpful, so thank you for that. You've done a good job."

The atmosphere lightened considerably, and Kana could hardly believe her ears. This stranger had actually praised her; although it did feel strange being praised for betraying the people who were supposed to be her comrades. She mumbled her thanks. The hawk-like eyes of the Leaf elders and senior shinobi were making her feel horribly exposed. The Hokage's less harsh words did a little to quell her anxieties.

"That doesn't matter," the old lady spoke again. "This girl is a threat to national security. Having the nine-tails boy and an ex-criminal within the village walls at the same time is bound to land us in a crisis. Think about it, Tsunade."

"I am thinking about it," the Hokage snapped, "and I know just as well as you what a risk this is. But I know a certain someone who would never give up on a person simply for being a criminal…"

"You're talking of Naruto Uzumaki, the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, aren't you? Do not be ridiculous. Sasuke Uchiha is a lost cause and you know it. It's time that Naruto accepted that, too."

"Don't talk of things you know nothing about!" Kana interjected with force.

"I suggest you keep quiet!" the old man said. "You're in a precarious position as it is."

"No, I think we should let her speak," Tsunade countered.

Kana agreed that she ought to be able to stand up for herself and put forward her case. What use was it if only biased people deliberated over her situation?  
She spoke for a long time, being careful not to mention certain details of her life but letting them have enough knowledge of her to feel that she wouldn't be harmful. Even she couldn't guarantee it, she couldn't give them any hints of her insecurity. When asked about Itachi, she angrily proclaimed his innocence, but luckily this was overlooked.

"You won't catch me begging any other time," Kana warned, "but please, please let me stay here. I have to protect what- what is important to me. The Leaf is a place with good people in it, and I want to be a part of it." She felt her face heating up from the embarrassment of having to grovel like this. "I won't cause any trouble. I swear it. I know how vital you guys think village security is, and I understand where you're coming from, but you can't just turn me away when I want to help."

One of the jounin cleared his throat.

Tsunade glanced to her left, where he was stood. "Yes, Shikaku?"

His voice was a husky baritone with a grave, solemn tone. "In terms of strategy, allowing Kana to remain here is advantageous and far from dangerous. I don't believe we have a reason to doubt her intentions to help us. Itachi Uchiha was formerly of this village, and also her Akatsuki partner. "

Kana cut in, "Yes, and I want to do what he couldn't. I want to help this place on my own terms."

"It's decided then," Tsunade said. "Kana, you are hereby granted access and residence in the Hidden Leaf village. You will not be assigned a rank as you did not enter the ninja academy, but you may join ANBU if you wish. You will be expected to serve the village in times of crisis, accept any mission required of you and vow to live your life in service of who are now your people."

Kana felt the tiny embers of triumph.

"This is an outrage!" the old lady exclaimed.

"This is my decision." She turned to Kana. "Kana, we can set you up with somewhere to live, but it will be monitored by ANBU at all times. You understand why, don't you?"

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me stay."

"You'll be on a tight leash for some time, so be prepared for that. In the mean time, get accustomed to the people here. Try to get to know other members of your generation. Socialise and earn our trust. We're all counting on you not to betray us or let us down."

"I wouldn't! Letting down a comrade is something stupid people do. You can trust me." _But I can't. Thanks for believing in me, anyway. I appreciate it._

"It's settled then. You're free to go. Just report back here later so I can give you somewhere to live. Nobody sleeps rough in this village."

Kana left the room. It felt like a fifty tonne weight had been heaved off her shoulders. The Leaf village was good, though she couldn't say she trusted the higher-ups, with the exception of Tsunade and that man, Shikaku. Was this truly a place she could call home? Really and truly?

"I did it, Itachi…" she said, "I can carry on your will."

She felt her eyes watering, but bit back the tears and ran out of the building, feeling on top of the world.


	12. Chapter 12 The Weakened Seal

**Hi! Thank you for reading, and for reviewing if you have done so far. If not... *smiles* please do. Now, for chapter 12, please enjoy. Not much actually happens- I wrote it for the feels. :)**

**Chapter 12- The Weakened Seal**

Itachi was right. Kana had not yet found a person in the village who would betray a comrade. This culture of helping the weak instead of killing them was soothing to watch, despite the sadistic thoughts in the back of her head that told her it was this softness that made people weak in the first place. Kana had, in recent days, seen a genin return from a mission with her teammates and sensei, having caused the team to fail. The sensei had patted her on the head, and given her advice on how to improve. It was a far cry from Kana's experiences with her past training sessions with Orochimaru. It reminded her a little of Itachi.

Several days had passed since her arrival, and though many ninja still regarded her with a mix of contempt and fear, Sai and Kakashi had been her saving grace. She didn't know what would have happened if they weren't there.

"Sai," she asked that day, "Do you live on your own?" They were strolling away from a trip to the dango shop, food in hands.

Sai took another bite and deliberated for a second, before smiling. "Yes, I do. Why are you asking me this?"

"It's just that I've never heard you talk about your family. Don't you have any?"

"I did once. I had a brother. An older brother." Though his smile was there, it turned transparent and empty. Kana watched him curiously for a few moments, forgetting about her dango. He shook himself out of his momentary lapse in composure.

"So did I," she said. "It's something special, that's for sure. The bond, I mean."

"Yes. Naruto said something like that, too. You're a lot like him. He believes in the bonds that motivate people as well. It's not something I know much about, but it intrigues me."

"Naruto does? I suppose you're right. He seems like the type. He won't let anything stand in his way when it comes to his 'bond' with Sasuke, and for some reason he makes you believe he can actually do it. Bring him back, I mean."

"He has that effect on people. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be out here today. I would probably be dead, having tried to kill Sasuke. He convinced me to abandon my mission. There isn't proof of a stronger person than that."

Kana silently accepted this revelation. He took another bite of his dango, lost in thought, and she followed suit. She threw the empty stick in a nearby bin and looked sympathetically at Sai, who stared back with the same unassuming expression she had grown accustomed to. In his free hand he clutched a small bag and a sketchpad. He always carried this around with him, constantly on the watch for inspiration. Kana envied him for having a hobby like that, something to be passionate about- as passionate as Sai could be, anyway. The horror of Itachi's death hung like a rainy cloud over her head, preventing her from finding anything useful to do or even smile.

Her thoughts faded into nothing. Feeling a little odd, she cringed. What was this painful emptiness inside her head? Suddenly, her mind surged with power, the world came rushing over her, and she found herself face down in the dirt.

Someone was slapping her face.

"Kana is your name, isn't it? Wake up, already. Please, wake up," a voice urged. "You! The one who was with her! Sai, right? Come over here and tell me what happened."

Kana sluggishly opened an eye to see a male ninja fixing her gaze with intense yet pale lavender eyes. He brought her to a sitting position and with utter embarrassment, she realised that she was still in the main street, surrounded by hoards of passers by. As she caught the male's eye, he ran a hand restlessly through his short russet hair and sighed.  
Sai approached them both and knelt down to their level, looking confused. Kana thought that he had no right to be that confused, not when she was the one who had just fainted. She regarded him with slight irritation, but was too dazed at the moment to say much.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked.

"I'm fine…" she mumbled faintly. "I don't know what happened though."

Sai opened his mouth to speak, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "We were having a conversation when you came over quiet, and suddenly dropped your head and your chakra surged unbelievably. A moment later, you fainted." He sounded just as bewildered.

This had happened before, albeit very, very occasionally. She recalled it happening twice, maybe three times since her and Itachi had met, and once before. This power, whatever it was that Madara believed her to have, was not something she could control any more. The unknown force keeping it sealed in was weakening; she could feel it in her mind.

The boy nodded, apparently too absorbed in thought to reply properly, and stood up.

"Everyone, please leave. It's over now."

The crowd of citizens begrudgingly obeyed, and finally Kana was left in relative peace with Sai and this new, odd stranger. The boy, who looked as if he could be around seventeen or so, pulled her to her feet and gave her another look of concern. She sighed and endured it, still feeling a quite sick from the fall. No, she felt utterly exhausted.

"My name is Hajime Hyuuga," he said, holding out a hand, "You must be Kana, the ex-Akatsuki member."

"I'm not just that. I'm a Leaf shinobi now," she replied. She shook his hand with measured caution.

"That you are…" He seemed to relax a little, and broke into a tiny smile. "Don't you remember seeing me? I was on the jounin council when you were appointed a shinobi of this village. I don't imagine you would, considering I didn't speak."

"Oh, er, no, I'm sorry." So he was a jounin, like Kakashi, one of the high ranking ninja. And he was important enough to be on the council in situations like hers.

"It's fine. I didn't expect you to, anyway. I was never very vocal."

"You were just now," she pointed out. He took control of the situation straightaway.

"I am a squad leader; it's natural for us to react quickly to worrying situations." The low, rumbling laugh in his chest was warm, warmer than his initial impression. "All I saw was you fainting in the street. It would have been a disaster to ignore that."

Kana couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile as well, for the first time since she could remember. "It was a decent test for you, then!"

Sai interjected, "Kana, are you sure you won't faint again?"

"Could you help Kana back to her apartment?" Hajime asked him. Sai nodded.

"I said I'm fine!"

Back in her apartment, Kana stared up at the plain ceiling from her bed and contemplated her day. Waking up, getting dressed, going with Sai to buy some dango sticks, and her power coming unsealed and taking over her mind. Truthfully, the thought of possibly going berserk at people who were now her comrades, or fainting again, scared her. She was scared of herself, what she was becoming.

Was that how Itachi felt? When he tried to hang onto his true self?

These thoughts consumed her along with the navy veil of darkness that was now hanging over the village. The lights from lanterns in the streets gave the sky a fading hue, slightly concealing the silver stars, obscuring Kana's chance to see clearly when she turned her head to look out the window.  
Not a sound was made around her immediate, peaceful area, but in the distance she heard the muffled din of the townspeople going about their evening business, and all the sounds laced in together were almost soothing.

The sounds of a village were so different, it was interesting just to listen. The twitter of the night creatures, the flutters of bats in caves and the gentle rustling of tree leaves were the sounds she had grown up with, though somewhere in the back of her mind, the memory of a small wooden village, bustling with activity, the loving arms of 'mama', resonated and remained alive. These memories seemed like fantasy stories, or morel like tragic fairy tales with bad endings. Kana was able to look back at these things without a flicker of emotion, but still, the night time undertakings of this village reminded her of her first life.

She rose up and went to stand by the window, when her head was overcome by an unbelievable amount of pain. When she opened her eyes again, the world was completely different. It was in negative colours, fragmented, sharp, terrifying. Time flowed slowly, and quickly, and it stopped in odd places, and the pain was getting too much to bear. Just when she thought she would scream, it stopped.

"What the hell was that?" she breathed. Small beads of sweat ran down her forehead. "I'm going mad."

This couldn't be good.

"Are you okay, Kana?" She heard a voice from the street below.

She leant out the window, trying to hide her discomfort, "Kakashi, what do you want?" She noticed the people beside him. "And why is Danzou and the Hokage here too?"

"Just passing through on some important business," Danzou said.

"Not so important that you couldn't stop and chat to your favourite ex-rogue," she countered. "Can this wait? I'm kind of in a bad mood at the moment."

Kana jumped from the window and landed before them to make the conversation easier.  
It was clear after a while that their intention was to question her again about Itachi, and about his death.

"I'm not going to talk!"

"We're only asking you some questions," Kakashi eased.

"Nope!"

"You don't have to be so defensive. I understand that he was your mentor, but we need to understand why Sasuke Uchiha won't return to the village."

"He should be executed like a criminal," Danzou disagreed. "Maybe we can use you to do it."

"You will not," Tsunade said firmly. "Under any circumstances. You cannot use my subjects in this way."

"Sasuke is revenge-seeking monster!" she growled. "He was the source of all Itachi's pain and suffering! In my opinion, he deserves worse than death, but in honour of Itachi's wishes, I'll not kill him. So Danzou, your option is invalid."

The Hokage and Kakashi took a step back each. Maybe they could sense that this may come to blows.

"Itachi Uchiha was a criminal who murdered his entire clan-"

"Except Sasuke! He couldn't do it!"

"You can scarcely comprehend even half of our village's business, young girl." He glanced backward at a silently observing pair. Kana's perception was such that she noticed the minute inflection of anxiety in such an iron voice. His expression was incomprehensible, but her well-trained eyes saw through this façade, just like everyone else's, just like Itachi's.

She dropped her voice down, "I'll tell everyone the whole truth, about your little games with the fate of the Uchiha, about what you put him through, everything. I know it all, Danzou, so be warned."

"Threats are no use against me, girl."

"You're at my mercy now. Don't think I won't do it."

Tsunade could not refrain from speaking any longer. "Kana, explain. Danzou, stand down, now."

"I refuse."

"This is an order. I am your Hokage, whether you like it or not, so do as I say! This is a matter of importance!"

Kana's dark eyes followed Danzou's relentlessly, even as he stepped back to stand with Kakashi. She fixed him with a forcefulness that made his steel will weaken to soldering metal, and it would melt soon. If what Itachi said was correct, which it was, Danzou was in a hell of a lot of trouble right now.

"Kana, you can talk freely now."

"Fine! I will!"

They didn't believe her. She could tell. Nobody interrupted her, not for the whole story, although somewhere in the middle, Danzou had disappeared with a single body flicker. She spoke upward to the lantern-lit twilight, in a quiet voice. She felt like she had been doing him a notorious wrong. Hadn't Itachi wanted to remain an anonymous criminal? Hated, scorned? Yes, and leaving Sasuke to be the hero. It was the one thing she wouldn't stand for. Tsunade looked wordlessly infuriated, and the subject of her burning rage was unknown. Kakashi stood, indecipherably blank-faced and deep in thought.  
No-one said a word when she finished. Never before had a silence had so much gravity as this. The tension was crushing her insides.

"Believe what you want," Kana said softly, "but I know Itachi's legacy ends with me. I'll defend this village till the end, and I'll stop Sasuke without killing him. That's a promise."

She bade them goodnight and returned to her bed, where the soft pillow awaited her tears. How long she stayed there exactly was mystery, but by the time Kana came to her senses, the Leaf was filled with the hue of the Fire country's burnt orange sunrise. Still in her mail vest and shorts, hair in a mess from lying down, she went to her window and breathed in the morning air, and the chakra which she couldn't ignore, no matter how much she tried. Lots of chakras, lacing in with each other, and some standing out. Kakashi's, regret, and Sai's confusion over where to lay his duty, it was all in their chakra. Her ability to read these things was much stronger than it was three years ago, it had grown over time.  
As she pondered this, something caught her attention.

In the distance, soaring closer and closer. It was a familiar crushing sensation, a tension so overwhelming it made her shiver. The chakra was unbelievable. It was right outside the village. Her heart stopped.

She punched the wall.

"Dammit. Damn you, Leader… I knew it. You'd come for the Kyuubi yourself."


	13. Chapter 13 God of Peace

**Hello people! Chapter 13 is finally here. Sorry for the delay... but life gets in the way sometimes. Please do enjoy, and I hope you'll review if you liked it. Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter 13- God of Peace**

She wanted to believe it was some distant dream, nightmare rather, but it was here and now, and she was facing it. She knew this day would come. When, apparently, not even her and Itachi could capture it, not Hidan or Kakuzu, not Deidara, not Sasori, not anyone, it stood to reason that Leader would turn up, too, and with Konan in tow. No, not in tow. Konan was too dignified for that. Whatever the situation was, Kana was hit with an agonising thought. She had to talk to Leader, she had to. Maybe she could dissuade him from taking Naruto. If she volunteered her chakra, wouldn't it be equivalent to taking the Kyuubi's? It was strong, right? So if he accepted her chakra instead, Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, Hajime, they would all be safe…  
She couldn't get too ahead of herself. She had to see whether the Leaf really could be strong enough to fight Leader. The desire to believe in them was present, but Leader was who he was for a reason. No-one stood against him. She had repeatedly been told that the power Leader possessed was unimaginable.

With a multitude of thoughts carelessly running around her head, she fumbled in her drawer for a jacket and a ninja tool kit, stuffing some kunai and explosive tags in along with the shuriken already in there. She gritted her teeth. Why did her hands shake so much? Was it the anticipation, the thought of a fight? The fear of Leader's presence? The frustration of her conflicting emotions?

"I have to go," she mumbled, but it was drowned out by a thunderous smash and piercing screams. "Geez, the diversionary tactics method. He wouldn't search for Naruto in that way; it's completely unsuited to him. He must be using that to get to Naruto some other way… I have to find him." Or fight Leader? The choice was hers and it was impossible.

The streets were filled with terror. Bodies of the injured or worse off were already adorning the ground. Kana stepped over them, staring straight ahead, determined not to look back; there was nothing she could do to help them. That was the job of the professional medics, not professional criminals like her.

"Kana!"

She saw Hajime running towards her, sweat glistening on his cheeks, an anxious crease in his forehead. He stumbled to a halt, breathing heavily.

"Hajime, what's going on?"

"Someone's attacking the village…"

"I know that! But… who's fighting them?"

"Everyone. There's seven of them, seven people, and we think they are all members of the Akatsuki. The jounin council came to that conclusion and deployed all troops the defend the village."

"Seven?"

"Yes, and they're all littered with piercings and have orange hair, apart from one woman with purple hair. I've never seen anything like the power they wield, too. Does that remind you of anything?"

She bit her lip._ So Konan was here, too._ "No, I've never actually seen Leader, only projections. I don't even know his name. I didn't know there were _six _Leaders running about the organisation."

Hajime sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. An explosion sounded in the distance and Kana winced. The air was beginning to fill with smoke and screams, and her mind was brought back to an event that took place a long time ago, the destruction of her old village. Running through the ruined streets, dodging dead bodies, seeing her mother killed before her, the unexplainable events after that… all of it wormed its way to the surface and made Kana shiver. Hajime watched her with concern, before waving his hand in front of her face.

"Kana, wake up! We have to defend the village."

She blinked. "…Right. I have to give Leader a good punch in the face for what he's done, for what he's doing…"

"That's the spirit," he said encouragingly. Another loud crash, and this time it was closer. The force of it, the sheer pressure, made both of them duck instinctively. "We need to find them."

"I can sniff out their chakra from here… Or we could just follow the crashes."

He grimaced. "Yes. Are you sure you're alright, Kana? You look a little pale."

"I always look like this," she snapped, an immediately felt bad about it. It wasn't Hajime's fault that she was feeling out of sorts at the moment.

Suddenly, he focused his chakra and commanded: "Byakugan!" and then his soft lavender eyes became defined, and the veins around them were alarmingly huge. His eyes darted around, quick and alert.

"What did you just do?"

"It's one of the three great eye techniques that my clan has. It's a kekkei genkai, like the sharingan. It's called byakugan, and it gives us almost three hundred and sixty degree x-ray vision for a long distance. I can see the seven intruders right now, in fact," he explained.

"Wow… that's really amazing, what you can do."

"Everyone in my clan can. We're born like it. That's just about the only thing we all have in common." His voice took a slightly bitter edge to it. It was only a pinprick of unpleasantness, but just that was enough to pique her curiosity. "Anyway, focus, Kana."

"You're the person who should be focusing."

"Right. There seems to be the purple-haired woman at south-south-east, only two hundred metres away…"

"That's Konan!" she burst out.

"Who?"

"She's… she's the only female member of the Akatsuki, and Leader's partner. She's beautiful, and strong, and calm, but she's also really powerful."

"You knew her well?"

"Not very. We kept to two man cells and rarely associated with each other. I just met her at meetings."

"I see… well anyway, let's get going. Look alive and follow me."

Kana was still distracted by the crashes and the equally loud plethora of thoughts storming her head. She kept on having the nagging sensation of wanting to black out and lose control of herself like before, but that wasn't possible to accept.

Hajime sighed half-heartedly, and held out his hand. "Come on, I'm not going to carry you there. Pull yourself together!"

Kana stared at it for a second, and slipped her hand into his. It was dry and warm, unlike her clammy palm, and he squeezed it in encouragement.

"It's this way."

And then they careered at high speeds toward the place where Hajime claimed Konan was. Kana felt a jolt of nerves, but shoved it back down with almighty effort. She forced her body into as calm a state as she could and concentrated on keeping a hold of Hajime. He was very, very fast.

"There she is!" Kana pointed out, jabbing her finger straight ahead. She saw Konan's luscious purple hair, complete with origami flower decoration, first of all. The red and black cloak fluttered in the winds. "Konan!"

Hajime let go of Kana's hand and almost silently, without taking his fixed gaze off Konan, reached into the pack near his lower back and extracted a glinting kunai. Attached to it was an explosive tag. He sunk into a slight crouch, his knuckled white around the kunai, and his eyes were clearly baying for the chance to take her down for the village. Kana watched him with some fascination for a moment, before remembering precisely where she was.

Konan turned slowly around, and her golden eyes widened in mild shock at seeing Kana here.

"You're Itachi's protégé, Kana," she greeted without malice.

"Yeah, I am. Why… Why, Konan? Why are you doing this?"

"This is Leader's wish. We must find the nine-tails, without fail. It has gone on for too long."

"But all these people, all this destruction, for one thing, a big chunk of chakra?"

"Exactly. In time, you will come to understand that all of this," she gestured around them, "is necessary to achieve world peace. All this pain and sorrow is just the beginning of something great."

"All crap!" Kana growled. "I'm going to take you and Leader down for what you're doing. I'm going to make you pay for ruining my life!"

"How did we ruin your life?"

"By letting me stay!" Kana's cry echoed. "You could have let me go as a kid instead of bringing me up to be the complete mess that I am today. You turned me into a cold-blooded killer by the time I was nine, isolated me, prevented me from having a real childhood… all for my chakra!"

Hajime straightened up and stared at her with a mix of interest and concern.

"Yes, we did contribute to that, however, it is Tobi whom you should be directing your just rage to, Kana, not us."

"I will, when I see him, but for now, it's you."

Suddenly, Konan's tone changed. "Do you know where Naruto Uzumaki is?"

Itachi's words rang in her head: _You wouldn't find a single person there who would betray a comrade._

"Not. Telling!"

"Very well. I'll go to the other half of our objective, then."

"What's that?"

"Tobi has requested that you re-join our ranks."

Kana paused for a moment. Hajime gasped and gripped her shoulder.

"Kana, don't!"

She grimaced and shrugged him off. "Don't be and idiot. Like I'd even dream of teaming up with Akatsuki again."

"Tobi and Leader did not lie when they said that your power would be very useful one day, and that day is drawing very near. Because of that, you need to come back with us. I'm sorry Kana, but it's necessary."

"Like hell it is! No!" She kicked a stone, but fought to calm her breathing, which was ragged and angry. "But I have a… counterproposal?"

"What's that?"

"Just take my chakra and go. I'm not saying I'll join up again, but just take my chakra- I'm sure I have a whole load of it, enough to serve your twisted plans, anyway. Just leave the Uzumaki kid alone."

Konan observed Kana for a brief moment, before smiling a little. "An interesting proposal, but impossible. We need both your charka and the nine tails'."

"Dammit!" She clearly hadn't thought that one through. A great weakness of hers that Itachi frequently pointed out. So they needed Naruto and her… But what they didn't know was that Naruto wasn't here. They weren't going to get him. He was training in a distant place and it would take a reverse summons to bring him back. Even if they got her, they wouldn't get him.

But now Konan had told her this, was Kana seriously going to let them take her? Absolutely not! But Konan was crazily powerful.

"Say what you like Konan… I'm far more powerful than you think," she bluffed. "You'll never get me."

"She's right," Hajime picked up on Kana's bluff, and joined in. "Kana's power can awaken at any time, and she listens to no-one when that happens. When she comes after you, you will be astounded at her power."

It didn't work, and minutes later, the two of them found out exactly why Konan was one of Akatsuki's strongest.

Face-down in the dirt, Kana coughed and spluttered, her skin flecked with dozens of cuts. A particularly deep one ran over her forehead, which bled down her face and made her cringe. It felt like someone had dropped bomb on her body, it was so heavy. Konan domineered over her, staring down with a face devoid of emotion or sympathy. Kana forced her body to move, and dragged herself to Hajime, who was a little away from her, and who wasn't moving.  
He lay in a pool of blood, his teeth gritted.

"Hajime…"

During the chaotic storm of origami shuriken, Hajime had yelled for her to run, being buffeted by the paper mercilessly, but Kana, knowing she had a better chance of survival, shielded him and bore the brunt. What she didn't know what that a paper clone of Konan was lurking behind, ready to take them both out, and it looked like Hajime had come off worse.

"You bitch!" Kana cried at Konan. "Look what you did!" The effort of speaking was too much, and she dropped her head again in exhaustion and pain.

"Leader has changed tactics," Konan said in surprise. "I can't let him do that. It will take too much chakra. If you aren't going to come willingly, we may as well make you useful here and do Leader's work the way he intended to himself."

None of this made any sense. Konan picked up a drained Kana, who flapped in her arms toward a still Hajime, and transported her through being a paper angel. Kana pondered the irony as they hung suspended over the village.

Kana had never once noticed, until now, how utterly beautiful it was.

Konan wheeled around, and Kana suddenly picked up a chakra that crushed hers instantly. It beat out Konan's by a long shot, and was… she didn't know how to describe it. It was powerful, elegant, cruel, peaceful and yet fraught with pain and violence. Was this what something 'Godly' could be described as? Was there such a thing? A god with chakra like this?  
Kana answered her own question: Leader.

"Good job, Konan, though it's only half done…"

The voice was smooth, calm and it rang in the air around them. It mobilised the birds and halted the clouds.

"Kana. We finally meet in person."

Everything about the man before her screamed 'death'. It was just as Hajime described; piercings, orange hair, crazy powers… But that wasn't what was the most disturbing thing about her leader. It was the eyes, most of all. It was exactly like being the presence of something divine. The purple ripple pattern, the sharp alertness, their intense watch.

"Leader," she forced out in a feeble whisper.

"Call us Pain. All six of us are Pain, god of peace."

"Peace? You're out of your mind…"

"It is time for you to make yourself useful, Kana."

"I have done…" she whimpered. "Since the beginning, I've done whatever has been asked of me. I was loyal, wasn't I? Will you at least tell me what's going on? Just let me be. I'm so confused."

"Do you have people here in this village that you value?"

Kakashi, Sai, Hajime… Yes, they were valuable. Her saviours.

"Do you love this village now?"

She paused. "…Yeah, I do. I love it here." She was startled to feel tears gathering.

"Then all the more reason for you to know one's pain of having everything they know and love destroyed. This will make you a better person, Kana. Also, the need to test out your true potential is here."

"True potential?"

"Your power has been sealed away for a long time. The brief intervals of deadliness you show are only fractions of your true capabilities, and the stronger you got, the weaker the seal became. This moment in time is the perfect one to release much more of your power, if only for an instant."

Too many words. Too much that she didn't want to hear. However, Kana understood loud and clear exactly what Pain wanted out of this, and it would be the undoing of her. It would be the undoing of everyone here.

_Don't use me._

Pain took her from Konan, grabbed her into a full nelson grip, and held out a metal object near her chest.

"What's that?" she gasped.

He replied almost inaudibly, "Chakra amplifier."

_Please don't use me. Not for this._

_Kakashi, you are like and older brother, you've helped me so much. Sai, you have been my quiet companion, always listening to me and giving your honest opinions that I've come to like so much. And Hajime… Hajime._

And as Pain placed the object on her chest, amidst her protests, as her head heated and she felt the power rising up within her, Kana thought back and remembered… the very first day she stepped into the village, and smiled.


	14. Chapter 14 Hated

**Hellooo. Time for chapter 14. I hope you are enjoying this, because writing it was certainly a joy. Please review if you can. If you have already so far, thank you for the support! Now, enjoy- :)**

**Chapter 14- Hated**

_What am I doing? A huge flash, noise everywhere. I am so angry I can't move or speak. There's people screaming, crushed under rubble, death everywhere. What's going on? Why am I here? They'll all hate me now. I've destroyed everything… I will wait here, on the other side. Just until something calls me back. I don't care how long it takes._

Kana heard noises all around her, but it was too chaotic for her to pick out anything. She was on a blanket on the ground. She wanted to get up, but her body was far too heavy. Wave after wave of pure exhaustion swept over her and battled to force her into more slumber, but she urged herself awake. Soon, she became aware that her hands were chained. Actually, so were her feet. The cold metal sapped any warmth she felt from the torches.  
One eye opened, and she saw that what surrounded her was a drooping khaki tent, held upright with wooden poles; the smouldering flames of two torches kept the inside in an earnest, dim glow, and in the corner of one eye she saw a medical kit and a spare pillow. In the other eye's peripheral, she saw five people: Kakashi, Sai, Hajime, Naruto Uzumaki and a girl with pink hair whom she had never seen. Their faces were observant or grave, but Hajime's was clouded with concern as well.

"So you're awake," Kakashi pointed out.

"Looks like it," Kana said. Her voice was knackered and hoarse.

"How are you feeling?"

"Divine."

"You'll be very confused right about now… Since we're the only people who will see you, we're going to explain, if you feel up to it."

"My mind's too numb to want to go shouting about how confused I really am. It feels like someone sucked all the life out of me."

"She's tired," Hajime protested. "Let her rest first."

Kakashi countered, "She's rested unconscious for more than ten days. That's a rest, if ever."

"Fine."

"Shouldn't we get rid of the chains?" Sai asked.

They unchained her, and the relief was immediate. She got it. They had been chakra drainers. They had wanted her to wake up, but not in full power, so the only option had been to gradually eat up her chakra with these devices. A dirty trick, but she had to concede it as a necessary measure.

"Woah, I've never seen someone look so tired," Naruto exclaimed. "Or like they're trying so hard."

Sakura was very kind. She helped Kana to sit up, and gave a her herby-tasting drink that made her feel more lively instantly.

"I did it, didn't it?" Kana mumbled.

Kakashi frowned. "What?"

"Destroyed the entire village. You don't need to say it, but I'll defend myself. It wasn't my fault, I swear. I'd never do something like that if I…"

"We know," he assured her. "Since then, a lot has happened."

"Lady Tsunade released her mitotic regeneration seal in order to protect everyone," Sakura explained, "So not many were harmed. All the people who were killed by Pain since he arrived have been revived, too…"

"What?! By who?"

Naruto chipped in, "Nagato. Those six Pains were just dead bodies being controlled by your Leader, Nagato. Stuff happened, and… well, Nagato died because he used all his chakra to revive those whom he'd killed here. Who knew he was a good guy after all?"

"That's crazy…" she whispered. "But who killed Pain?"

"Uh, that was me."

"_You?"_ This kook? Seriously? But… With Kyuubi's power, she could somehow believe it. There was something about him that made her want to believe in him. "What's the state of affairs here then?"

Kakashi took over again, "Tsunade is in a coma. Her chakra was greatly drained and it left her body exhausted, so Danzou has taken over as interim Hokage, the sixth. What's more, since the village was destroyed, the entire population is mobilised to start the repair work and defend the village, should foreign lands seek to take advantage of our weakness." He took a breath. "I don't know what happened to you up there, Kana, but could you explain?"

"I'm not completely sure … I was recruited into the Akatsuki for reasons like this. Since I was a kid, I've had this crazy power, even I don't know much about it, but as I've gotten older, it's as if the seal that must have been placed on it, is weakening. Pain took advantage of that, and released my power." She wringed her hands and felt tears welling. "If it gets any worse, you'll have to chain me down all the time like this. I'm a living bomb, a chakra weapon. The Akatsuki want to use me to seal the tailed beasts faster…"

"You are not a _bomb, _Kana," Hajime said angrily. "How could you say that?"

"I hurt your entire family, I destroyed your home, I've imposed on you all, and I'm the key to the ruin of the world with the tailed beasts. Just kill me now. Listen to me, this can't be stopped."

"No, you listen to me. The village can be rebuilt. Whatever happened up in the sky, I know you didn't have a choice; I can't say that I'm not in pain. The pain of losing my home is more than I can handle. But none of that, none of that at _all _would ever cause me to want you to die."

"Hajime, stop it." _I don't deserve it!_

"No! Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You've got legs, to get up and walk with them, and hold your head high. There's lots of people here who won't forgive you, so you've got to face up to them if you want the Leaf to be your home."

The conversation ended here. Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto and a hesitant Sai left the tent while Hajime lied down, leaning on one elbow, facing Kana. She saw a large gash in its entirety on his cheek. It was a nasty wound, but cleverly treated. It distorted his face a little. She couldn't describe the feeling she had, now she knew Hajime was safe after all. Seeing yet another person covered in blood on the floor, unmoving, was intolerably painful.

The evening passed without event. Sai dropped in and stayed for a while, and the three of them together spent some time eating and talking about things that had nothing to do with anything, casual things, things that didn't jab any tender spots. The conversation did grow more serious sometimes, but only sometimes.  
Hajime was the one who had the most to say; as Sai had spent his childhood in Root, and Kana had been brought up by Itachi for Akatsuki, Hajime had had the most ordinary of lives. But as a member of the branch family of Hyuugas, Kana found out that was hardly normal. Very unfortunate, in fact, but he didn't seem to mind.

Kana worried the whole time. Never in her life had she been so tired, so drained and depressed. In the aftermath of such a tragedy, she wondered how she had coped the last time around.  
But sitting in a circle, with the stern, reassuring Hajime and Sai with his sincerity, she felt now what it was like to have real friends. When this realisation hit her, her heart was filled with warmth that would boost her up from the rising hatred she now had towards her problems.

It was friends that she would need, if she was going to endure this next chapter of her life.


	15. Chapter 15 S-Rank Mission

**Woo hi, it's time for chapter 15. I hope you like it, and review if you've got the time. Also, I hope Hajime is a good OC. Kana certainly thinks so. ;) Anyway, here it is! **

**Chapter 15- S-rank mission**

Every day, the fresh smell of wood dominated what was once the village hidden in the leaves. The smell of wood, the chopping and sawing of wood, hammering in screws and nailing tapestries and fabrics to walls, busy chatter of children… the Leaf was a hub of frenzied activity, people with a burning desire to see the village stand tall once again. Gossip topics were few and far between amongst the general populace- of course they would want to continue working no matter what. The people who knew, however, who Kana was, the shinobi, were talking at every turn and the amount of slander from these supposedly civilised people was unbelievable. Kana bore all this with gritted teeth. After all, how were these stupid people to know that she was forced, that she had no choice? They were deliberately blind to the truth, and she didn't blame them. Itachi had often warned her of mankind's tendencies to shy away and smear the unknown.

Team Kakashi and Hajime were being awfully supportive, though, almost to a fault. She was never left alone- in case Danzou and his ANBU unit came to call- and they always made sure she was occupied. Naruto's fiery resolve to rescue Sasuke from his dark path was overwhelming. Deep down, really she wanted to kill Sasuke for what he did to Itachi, but Naruto's determination was catching.

On this particular day, two weeks after the 'incident', Kana awoke in the new larger tent that she, Hajime, Sai, Sakura and Naruto were all sharing. She yawned lethargically and rolled over to doze off once again…

"Kana!"

Someone was slapping her face.

"Kana, wake up properly, lazy."

"Hajime?" Her voice was muffled. She shoved him away and sat up, opening her bleary eyes. Her bed hair was a bird's nest atop her head, and dark circles were forming under her eyes.

"Kana, you've been asleep for half the day…"

"I need my beauty sleep…"

He conspicuously cleared his throat and laughed. "Absolutely. So, are you going to train today or are you going to lie in bed and brood?"

"Train! Just let me wake up, first."

"Sai said he would train with you today if you need it. I can't today. I have a mission to get to."

"With your regular team, right?"

"That's it. I'm the leader, so I have to make sure everything, including the battle strategies, are prepared. It's an S-rank mission, you see… And we need all the advantages we can get." He shifted uncomfortably, before regaining control of himself. "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but it can't hurt to prepare too much."

"Have you done many S-rank missions before? What do you do in them?"

"I've done three so far. They were incredible, and horrifying. They were so tough, and I wasn't expecting my team to be in so much trouble." He caught her expression and sighed. "We were sent on a mission to ambush a team of jounin from another village who were set up to steal the byakugan from the village and then kill the wielder. Naturally, as a Hyuuga, I was given the mission and we accomplished it."

"How?"

"We ended up having to kill them," he said simply, but she could sense the thinly veiled regret. "They just wouldn't surrender."

"I hate it when that happens. But I suppose I wouldn't surrender, either." Suddenly, inspiration hit her. "Hey! Hajime, let me come on your mission with you!"

"What?"

"I need the distraction if I'm honest. Plus, I'd be a great help. Please Hajime…" Social tactics, social tactics, she chanted in her head.

Hajime's reluctant eyes stared at her. "Kana… It's an S-Rank mission."

"You think I haven't done that kind of thing before? You forget where I'm from, who I was trained by. I can handle myself."

"These missions require a lot of teamwork, Kana. It's not something someone like you can jump into straightaway. I don't think you'd handle it."

Her face flushed with anger. "Hajime! I can't believe you just said that. Dammit… I thought we were friends!"

"I'm only saying this because I care about your safety, and the safety of my team! Shut up and listen to what I'm trying to tell you!"

"Excuse me…" What was that voice? It sounded a lot like Danzou. Kana swivelled around, still furious with Hajime, and glared into the face of her interim Hokage, and the person she hated most of all.

"Danzou, what the hell are you doing here?" she growled.

"I think you should go on this mission. Hajime, give her the briefing and take her along with you."

Hajime had a sharp intake of breath. "What, Danzou? You can't be serious! If this goes wrong, then…"

Kana understood perfectly. Danzou didn't think she could do it. He thought her lack of interpersonal skills and experience of teamwork was going to act as a disadvantage on the mission, and she refused to acknowledge that he was right on this one. He was going to insist on her participation because there was, if only a slim one, a chance that she would not come back alive. It was a sly trick, and it definitely didn't sit well with Hajime, who must have realised. He bared his teeth at Danzou.

Team Hajime now comprised of four ninjas: Hajime, who was still furious and refusing to talk to Kana, Akira Sarutobi, the young male heir of the Sarutobi clan, and a mature kunoichi named Emi Katsumi, who was the medic for the team. So they had the medic, the sensory ninja, the ninjutsu master, but what was Kana to them?  
She pondered this as the plunged deep into enemy territory, ready to carry out her first mission for Danzou, and it was dirty one at that: to zero in on and eliminate the tiny Yokai clan, a rogue ninja clan who posed a threat to the Leaf's security. She had to admit, it was the perfect mission for someone like her. Brought up by Itachi and given worse missions than this, her mind retreated back into that safe schema where she knew everything. A battle maiden rose within her again, and her senses gained those old levels of paranoid alertness.

"This way!" Hajime's commanding tone rung throughout the forested area. His right hand signalled that it was okay for the rest of the team to go on ahead. Emi lead the way, with Akira and Kana flanking her at either side, ready to react to enemies at most angles.

Kana's ears pricked. Yes, she could sense the enemy close by.

"Hajime! Do you see anything, because I can sense them."

"Yes Kana, I can see them resting about two hundred metres away at two o clock," he agreed, and reduced his voice to a whisper. "I will scout ahead. Kana, you come with me. Emi, Akira, you wait ten metres to the left and right, and set up trip wires rigged with explosive tags around the perimeter of the area. Then we will surround them at all four corners."

Emi nodded. "Yes, but what if they have sensory ninjas who know we're there?"

"Then we abandon the ambush and go for the all-out offensive. But you stay out of most of the action. We don't want our only medic to die in a battle when you can heal us all at the end."

Akira patted Emi on the shoulder. "Come on, don't make that face. You know your safety is the most important out of all of ours. You are an important member, so don't let us down, okay?"

Kana remained silently astounded. They all cared for each other so much, as a team. There was no-one who was prepared to go rushing in and battle alone, they all looked out for their members, and Hajime's leadership was impressive to say the least. No wonder he was a jounin of the jounin council at such a young age. He was born for this kind of thing.

He took a deep breath. She could see his jaw harden, how much he hated this mission, but he carried on anyway. "Right, Kana, come with me. Emi, Akira, wait for my signal."

And then her mind completely lost that kind, village dweller part of it, and became solely intent on the mission. Those old thoughts about never wanting to kill anyone again were fading fast; how could she have been so naïve? There wasn't a ninja alive who didn't have to kill at some point. As much as it disgusted her, this was a mission for Danzou, a test, and she was going to pass.

There were ten enemies, all of fairly high calibre. Upon a startled exclamation from a member, they gripped their kunai and sunk into animalistic crouches. Great, so they knew they were hiding in the branches. At least Emi and Akira had enough time to set up the trip wires and explosive tags; it restricted the enemies' movement enough.

"We know you're out there!" one of them shouted. "So come out and face us."

Hajime could be seen through the thick tangle of branches on the opposite side of the perimeter to Kana. She saw him raise his right hand, and bring it down like that of an axe.  
That was the signal.

She leapt from her hiding spot and within ten seconds had killed two of them with her kunai alone. Blood shone on the now dulling blade of her childhood, glistening in the sunlight through the gaps in the foliage. Hajime took one down with his gentle fist, leaving no visible damage on the outside. The ninja merely groaned in extreme pain, and collapsed to the ground, the light having left their eyes. Akira cast a lightning jutsu and electrocuted two at the same time, gripping them tightly by the necks. So five were down, five more to go.

Kana's mind was completely blank. As Hajime and Akira restrained the strongest together, giving each other an exchange of true desperation and sorrow, Kana faced the remaining four. She ignored the blood running down her forehead. Forehead wounds always bled more, she remembered calmly.

She muttered without thinking about it, "Katon… Fire style, phoenix flower jutsu."

And they were dead too, burned to cinders.

Soon after that, Hajime and Akira disposed of the leader.

Emi emerged from the shadows. They all collapsed slowly to the floor, in pure relief. Kana caught Hajime's eyes and relaxed. But he looked at her with something that resembled… was it fear? Emi's healing touch soon found Kana's wounds, bringing instant respite, and she was finally able to process what she had just done.

"I did it again…" she mumbled, sighing. "I killed more people in cold blood."

Hajime struggled with his injuries, but moved over to sit next to her. "You were doing it for the village, Kana."

"No." She shook her head. "As soon as I registered what we were actually doing, my mind switched off and I went back into that state of mind I was in before. The part of me, the old me, who didn't care about killing people, surfaced. I felt just like I did when I was a kid, almost having fun. It was horrible." She felt tears gathering in her eyes. "I didn't want to kill anymore. I thought I had changed. But it turns out that my childhood really did ruin me. Hajime, I'm the worst kind of person."

OOO

Back at the village, they handed in their mission report.

_Mission was a success. Enemy ninja disposed of with minor injuries to team, no fatalities. No jutsu or techniques were stolen. Team members complied with orders efficiently and carried out the mission without question or hesitation. _

It turned out that they got paid a great deal of money for such a job, too.

It was disgusting.

After three days of not speaking, Kana was surprised to find a note through her door from Hajime. So he wanted to make amends. Fine by her.

They sat on the grass bank by the river in, at first, a stony silence. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier," he said suddenly without looking at her. "It was wrong of me to doubt you."

"No, you were right. I'm a killer who can't work in a team," she mumbled.

"That's not true! Not in the least, Kana. I refuse to believe you can't change that part of you with a little effort. I don't think I'd want you to, anyway."

"Why not? It only causes trouble."

"Don't you think that if I wanted to abandon you, I would have done it already?"

She wondered if he had a point. She had been in a roving gang of shinobi, perpetrators of mass murder and espionage, she had killed a ninja of the Leaf, destroyed their entire village whilst under the influence of Pain… and yet Sai, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Hajime all still stood by her. How? How could anyone be so kind, so willing to care for others?

"I've caused so much pain… I don't know what I'd do if anyone left me now. You've all been kind to me, healed me and forgiven me no matter what I've done. I just can't believe your… your kindness."

Hajime's kindness.

He cleared his throat. "Thank you, Kana. You know I'll always stick by you. Sai cares about you a lot, too, although he has a hard time showing his emotions, and Kakashi cares for you like a little sister. You're surrounded by people, Kana. Itachi is no longer your only companion. Never forget your friends."

"You remind me of someone." She smiled a little to herself.

"See? I knew you could smile like that. It's a pure smile."

She felt her face flushing and her body growing warm. It was a cool autumn day, so this was odd. Kana suddenly felt mortified with herself, and stood up suddenly. Hajime swallowed, and stood up too.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing." She slowed her breathing. "I'm grateful to you, you know. So don't worry about me."

She turned around and began to walk away. Hajime grabbed hold of her wrist.

"I knew there was something else wrong. What is it?"

Aside from the fact that she was feeling something she'd never experienced? Yes, but it was difficult to say. His gaze wouldn't let up, so she relented.

"Danzou came to see me yesterday."

His breath hitched, but his face remained calm. "What did he want?"

"There's a summit of the five kages pretty soon, and I'm to accompany Danzou on his journey and be at his side during the summit, along with Sai."

"What? Are you serious? That's mad. He is targeting you, Kana."

She nodded. "I know. That's why… well, I have a horrible feeling that if I go, if I leave the village and go out into the open, there's people who will get me. Danzou isn't the only person who wants or wanted to use me or kill me. I can think of others." 'Madara', Pain, among others.

"You're smarter than I expected, Kana," he teased lightly. That was a surprise coming from someone so serious.

She smiled weakly, and they headed back to the centre of the village for food at the soup kitchen. He might have made the joke to cheer her up, but a lingering sense of foreboding bugged the back of her mind, and made the soup tasteless.

If she went to the summit, what would transpire? Who knew. However, it could not be good. Usually, as she had found out, Kana's hunches were correct.


	16. Chapter 16 Frozen Snow

Hello! Chapter 16 is here. Thank you to all those who have reviewed. Please enjoy my lovelies! :)

**Chapter 16- Frozen Snow**

"Well, I'm going now. Bye!" she said, trying to remain cheerful despite the gut feeling insider her. Kana knew Hajime could tell that her smile was fake, but what more could she do in front of Danzou?

"Kana, wait!" he said quickly. He grabbed her wrist. "Be careful out there. Don't do anything reckless. Keep warm, stay on guard, watch out for anything suspicious, and listen well at the summit."

She chuckled. "It's just like you to fret about me like this. Don't worry. I'll be fine. I've got Sai with me and he's much more level-headed than I am." She dropped her tone and moved closer. "But I do have a feeling inside me, that something's going on out there. It's sickening."

"That's not good." His brow creased with concern. "Just promise me, promise you will come back in once piece, Kana. Please."

"Sure."

Like it was the natural thing to do, Kana and Hajime embraced on the spot. She felt her cheeks flushing.

"Wait for me, okay?" she said into his chest.

He released her, and nodded solemnly. "Good luck," he replied, keeping one eye on a hawk-like Danzou.

And so, Kana, Sai and Danzou were off on the lengthy journey to the Land of Iron, the neutral nation ruled over by the samurai, the noble swordsmen. They refused to be involved in international conflicts and disassociated themselves with the 'kill or be killed' attitudes of shinobi, so Kana was incredibly curious to meet them.

The cool wind of the north of the land of Fire bit into her skin through the thick cloak, which flapped about and provided little warmth. The singular tie at the top was the only thing holding it together.

"Danzou," she complained, "How long is it until was actually get there?"

"We have been going for two days. There is still quite some time until we reach the land of Iron. Now be quiet. Do as Sai does."

Do as Sai does, indeed. He merely followed Danzou with a completely expressionless face, and he hadn't said a word since they had left. What had happened to that close friendship that existed between them? Sai, passionate about art, with the honest smile and even more honest words, awkward yet endearing… seeing him in this emotionless state reminded her of something. Yes, that time in the forest, on the mission with Hajime. Her mind had retreated into the safest place it knew. Maybe that was what was happening to Sai right now. Whatever it was, it was making this trip a whole lot more boring.

At last they came to a halt and were told to start the fire for warmth. They needed it. The air was bitter and swirling around them, mercilessly stealing any warmth they had remaining in their bodies. Danzou disappeared soon after, but Kana was grateful for that.

"Sai, are you okay?" she asked a little nervously.

He hesitated, checked around him, and breathed a small sigh of relief. "Yes. You don't need to worry about me. I'm perfectly fine."

"Is it making you nervous, being around Danzou again?"

"Like it or not, he is my superior still, and there is nothing that can change that fact. I can't get around the feelings I lose when given orders. It is all I've ever known."

Kana murmured something in agreement, but the sound disappeared with the wind that whooshed through the vicinity. The fire was instantly diminished in the freezing rush of air. Annoyed, she weaved the signs and said, "Fire style, great fireball technique." Great fireball technique indeed, but she allowed the tiniest portion of chakra to escape, just enough to light the fire again.

"I'll keep it going," she said to Sai. "Don't worry."

A curl of a smile entered Sai's lips.

The daylight was fading, and Danzou had still not returned. It wasn't as if she cared, but it did arouse her curiosity, just like everything else. Someone like him skulking around a foreign country, alone, when he was supposed to be journeying to a summit, was definitely suspicious. This wasn't to mention the fact that… yes, Danzou's chakra was gone. It was the trace of another presence that made her bristle.

This whole thing reeked of the masked man's chakra.

She'd done her reading in the Leaf Library, she'd asked Itachi sometime in her childhood, she's asked around. This man was not Madara Uchiha. Madara Uchiha was an ancient shinobi, bested by Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage, at the place now known as the Valley of the End. He controlled the kyuubi, used the mangekyou sharingan, used the greatest eye techniques. It made sense for someone like him to go off the radar for a bit, but there was no way he was alive now, not like this. Hidden behind a mask? It wasn't godlike at all. So it begged the question: who the hell was the masked man? He had lied to everyone, deceived even the best, and he had some dangerous ideas…

Goose bumps rose on her arms, and a shiver coursed through her body. Something was coming…

"Sai, get down!"

She grabbed his collar and forced him down to the ground. Shielding him with her body, Kana reached for her kunai and held the glinting metal in her hand, ready.

"Whoever it is, come out and face me!"

This was nothing like his style. Not one bit. This was an all-out offensive attack, not the normal subterfuge. What the hell was he playing at? Had he disposed of Danzou?

Sai remained silent. He knew better than to question a person's reason for suspecting attack and reacting to it accordingly. He might have done the same, but without the shouting.

Someone began to emerge from the shadows, their feet biting into the snow. Kana narrowed her eyes and allowed Sai to stand up along with her. They were deathly silent, and remained in instinctively crouched positions.

A voice addressed her, "Kana… Where did all your bravado disappear to? That cocky smile you had when fighting at Itachi's side, the love of battle, where did it go? Seeing you look so solemn is strange, especially when I know how much excess chakra you have inside you."

"Move so we can see you, dammit!"

"As you wish."

That hideous orange mask came first from the darkness, standing stark against the black and red cloak. He needed no introduction to Sai, whose body tensed. It wasn't visible but the small amount of fear he had was obvious to her.

"What are you doing here?" her voice died; halfway through her sentence, she guessed the answer. "I knew it, I knew you'd come for me. How could I have been so stupid?"

"Before I knock you unconscious, I'd like to take some time to explain things to you, if you don't mind."

"Like hell I mind! What is there that has to be explained at a time like this?"

_Yeah, right. My whole life needs explaining. I always worked everything out on my own, but not now._

"Before your power is used to benefit Akatsuki, I thought I'd tell you about yourself, those parts you had been dying to know, that no-one could ever explain to you." He sighed. "Why do you think you were even brought to Itachi in the first place? An ignorant village girl, devoid of any special traits apart from one. You see Kana, before I put my plan into motion, I'll do some explaining to Naruto, and to you. You need to know things."

"Why? What's the point?"

"A whim."

A mask concealed his features, but she noted with disgust that he must have been smirking underneath it.

"Are you going to listen to me, or not? I'm sure you'd like to know." He instantly dissolved into the air, and reappeared directly behind Sai. "This should be some motivation."

And he touched Sai's back, sending him reeling into the next dimension.

"Damn you!"

"If you want your friend to come back, you'll comply."

Kana had no choice. She straightened her back and allowed the feelings of hopelessness to snake through her body.

"Thank you. Shall I begin then? No interruptions, mind, or your friend will not come back." He sighed again, and cocked his head in thought. "I suppose the first place I should start is your birth, since you know nothing about it."

"I'm just a village girl… What more is there to know?"

"Silence," he warned. "You are no village girl. You are, without a doubt, an Uchiha."

OOO

"…Yes. It was sixteen years ago now, that you were born to the brother of the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha. Your father, Masajun, was a simple man, and despite being the older brother of Fugaku, was not named head of the clan. He lived an ordinary life, married an ordinary Uchiha woman, Suzume, and gave birth to what they thought was an ordinary girl. However, it wasn't to be so.  
At your birth, you opened your eyes and revealed something that terrified your parents and all those around you. Your eyes displayed a sharingan, a sharingan with _four _tomoe commas around the centre. Such a thing had never been seen. A minority of the Uchiha received a sharingan pair of eyes, and even fewer possessed the cursed mangekyou, but a sharingan with four tomoe commas was unstable, untested, unseen.  
It was an abnormality, something to be _feared _above all else. One of your crying fits could destroy a room, and it scarred your parents deeply. It was then that I once again decided to appear in the Leaf.  
Your parents, who gave you life, were terrified enough to hand you over to me without a second thought. I sealed your powers, and gave you away to an ordinary village to live your life, planning to come back for you when it was time for the seal to weaken, when I could develop your power. When you turned eight years old, your village was attacked by ninjas, and I met you once again, after you had used your gifts to kill someone for the first time."

Kana momentarily stopped breathing.

"This is… It's all true?"

"Every word. Did you not wonder why you were different to the other children? Why you could always see a mere ghost of a smile, why you sensed a certain incompatibility with your family… Something wrenched in Itachi's heart the moment you met him for the first time. It's because he suspected the very thing that is true… You are Itachi's cousin, Kana, a fellow Uchiha whom he watched get given away. He buried it at the back of his mind, silently disregarded that you had anything to do with him. He rarely thought of it but it nestled in his mind for the whole time. Over the years… you grew fond of each other, did you not?"

"I… I don't know what to… So I've been used my whole life? Just because I was born with this weird sharingan?" She spat on the ground, her whole body trembling. "It's sick! How could you do that to a kid? I…" Her bottom lip trembled. "I could have been a normal kid! I could have grown up in the Leaf and been a shinobi like the rest… I hate you!"

"Your hatred is justified…Although, if you had been brought up in the Leaf, you would have been slaughtered by Itachi's hand." He shook his head. "I have to say though, that you were born that way coincided wonderfully with the plans that your power could be used for. You'll come with me tonight, Kana."

"Whatever you want with me, I'm not going! I refuse to be used anymore!"

"Foolish girl." His tone reached a new level of threat. "You'll not resist any more. You can't harm me, not while your powers are sealed, and don't forget… that _I _placed that seal on those eyes of yours. Though I'll admit it had weakened, it's strong enough so that your true potential is locked up. Now Pain is dead, only I know how to release it."

"Shut the hell up! Lightning style, lightning dragon jutsu!" A dragon of blinding white and blue light erupted from her woven signs and illuminated the night sky, reflecting wonderfully off the glistening ice. It roared into the darkness and launched itself at the masked man with alarming speed.

And it cascaded right through his body.

"Surely you realise you can't actually hit my body?"

_Crap. Just bluff it. _"Yeah, I've been told about the tiny time gaps in between your uses, too. Can't fool me."

She darted forward and tossed a kunai forward, and it careered through his head, as expected. After it went through, she smirked and twitched her finger; this kunai was attached to her index finger with a barely visible chakra string.

She contracted her finger and brought it back. Simultaneously, she gathered a huge amount of lightning energy in her palm.

The kunai passed back through his head. He used that space-time jutsu, letting it right through. Now was her chance.

"Now!"

She twisted her body around him and- yes- her fistful of lightning chakra slammed into the masked man's back. He convulsed, shuddered, and sank to the ground in a slow arc, seeming to leave a blur of afterimages despite the hazy, slow speed. Anticlimactic, at best. Kana sighed and laughed a little in triumph, but noticed something odd.

With a small rush of smoke, the substitution block of wood appeared in the place of his mangled body.  
No, no… She shook her head, so sure she had it right. That meant that the odd sense of foreboding behind her was…

Something- a hand, maybe- smashed into the back of her neck and she fell into the blackness.


	17. Chapter 17 Nine Phantom Dragons?

****Hello! Sorry it's been so long. I'm going through a lot of crap at the moment, so I've not had time to update when I should! Here is chapter 17. I loved writing this one... please enjoy and review :)

**Chapter 17- Nine Phantom Dragons?**

_A familiar sensation rushed through Kana's body. The pressing pain of sleeping on the cold ground outside, the damp, musty smell of moisture dripping from a cave roof, all of these things reminded her of times from her past. Sleeping on the ground was fine with her, as long as it was safe with Itachi there on constant watch. Waking up from being unconscious, however, alone and in pain, was definitely not fine._

"_I think the kid's waking up. Someone slap her."_

_Who's voice was that? That drawling, dragged out tone belonged to Hidan, she was sure of it. She'd previously lost count of the times where she and Itachi had crossed paths with Hidan and Kakuzu and they had lost their temper with each other. Hidan was always ready to start an argument with just about anyone, but Deidara, Kakuzu and Kana seemed to be the prime targets._

"_Shut up, Hidan."_

_And Kakuzu was there too, shooting back his usual retort._

"_Fuck you, Kakuzu! I was only suggesting a way to wake her up. I'm sick of dragging her everywhere. She can get up and walk to the statue, can't she?"_

"_Hidan, shut up or I'll kill you. Just pick her up."_

"Wake up, Kana."

She jerked into consciousness. Wait. That part… was a dream? Yes. Hidan and Kakuzu were both dead, killed by the people who were now her allies. The back of her neck seared with pain. She reached round and touched it, only to return her hand within sight and see that it glistened with something red.  
It was freezing and the blackness in the vicinity was punctuated with the burning presence of three torturous chakras. A shiver ran down her body. Clenching her shaking fists, she urged herself into a sitting position and observed her surroundings.

"It can't be…" she mumbled. "It's the gedo statue."

She was in the king of hell, the gedo, statue's cave. This place, the musty scent, the miserable atmosphere, of course it had invoked the dream she had just now. Memories were flooding back to her. Standing on the fingertips of that monster, side by side with Itachi, awaiting orders from nothing but a projection of their leader… Grinning and cheerfully accepting those orders, returning covered in cuts and bruises and the blood of whoever… sealing the tailed beasts with her chakra, helping them out without a question asked… all these things, these pointless memories, came careering into her mind, and she shoved them back with all her effort.

"You're right. This is the gedo statue. We're going to do another test." It was the masked man in front of her, dominatingly stood looking down at her trembling figure.

She still felt a little sick. "What test?"

"Well, since the nine tails and the eight tails still haven't been sealed, we've started a war with all the shinobi nations to retrieve them. Instead of marching right into war, we're going to use your chakra to cast the edo tensei. Think of it as a pilot test."

"We're?"

The two people who were with the masked man stepped forward into the dim glow of a candle, and she was able to take in their appearances in their entirety. Zetsu, as creepy as ever, saluted her with a fiendish grin on only one side of his face, and the other man was someone Kana had never seen, but he stunk of the snakelike, evil chakra of Orochimaru. "This is Kabuto Yakushi. He'll be casting it." He gestured to the bespectacled mess in front of her. "I don't believe his claims about this jutsu. It's too perfect. As a test, we're going to resurrect old shinobi and set them on the Leaf village. If they happen to collect Naruto and his tailed beast, then all the better."

Kana growled, "So you're going to attack my village because of a suspicion? A doubt?"

So this was just a test. Or he was mocking her, or trying to get her angry. It was working.  
She surveyed Kabuto's countenance, covered in white scales and the purple lines coming from his eyes, with that same unnaturally sized mouth smiling all the way across his face. Enshrouded within a burgundy cloak, he looked as far from human as a human could get. Maybe he had absorbed Orochimaru's chakra after he died; she wouldn't put it past someone, seeing as Orochimaru was powerful.

"I don't care about this. I'm leaving."

A sharp pain shot through the back of her neck and she grabbed a fistful of hair close to the spot, breath hissing through her clenched teeth.

"You don't have a choice, Kana," the masked man said. "You're in no condition to be making statements like that."

"Are you sure this will work? You haven't given the girl enough discipline," Kabuto said in a slithering, soft tone. "There are other ways to test the edo tensei."

"You have not yet completely mastered the technique. You need Kana's excess chakra to cast it right now. Don't pretend you aren't relying on the Akatsuki for your power source. You're at our mercy." He bent down and yanked Kana to her feet. Despite her struggles, she was too weak and within a few minutes, stopped to catch her breath.

"Just let me go…" she said faintly. "I don't want to be used like this."

_Once they take my chakra, something like this was probably kill me. I don't want to die like this, not alone. I was alone when I started out, wasn't I? I remember how that felt. I never want to feel alone again, and yet here I am, in this awful place. Oh, just let me go and I'll be free._

The masked man- whom she now had decided to christen again as Tobi- dissolved into nothing whilst holding her, and they reappeared atop the gedo statue. He threw her into the palm of one of its hands, spluttering.

"Where did your guts go, Kana? Did they abandon you along with your mentor?"

"You shut up… Don't talk about Itachi…"

"I'm wasting time. Kabuto, this girl's sharingan is very unusual. I believe she will be able to help you cast the edo tensei without the need for all the… usual ingredients. I'll seal her down, and you go ahead and cast the jutsu."

"Of course."

Tobi weaved some signs that Kana didn't catch, and black sealing formula spread across her body rapidly, forcing her to stay on the ground, unable to move.  
Kabuto, below them in front of the statue, twisted his mouth into a grin and said in a soft tone, "Summoning jutsu, edo tensei!"

Kana felt like her soul was being ripped out of her body. Her power was leaving her, escaping through every pore in her skin, all that pent-up chakra releasing at once. She urged open an eye, and through the blur, she could see the blue chakra erupting from her body. The air around her seemed dense, crushing her chest.

_Am I going to live through this? Maybe not… I can feel my life force fading away…_

Sometimes she hated being such a good sensory ninja. Sensing other peoples' chakra draining was a simple thing, but sensing her own, involuntarily, was like being able to prophesise her own death. It was down to half now, just fifty percent of her life remained, and it was being used to supplement a jutsu that would bring many ninjas back to life against their will. It was going to bring them out of their peace.

She closed her eyes, and in front of her was a shadowy figure, a silhouette with a fluttering cloak. Raising her arm, somehow, she knew where they were, and who they were.

"There you are…"

And she flung out her hand into the blackness.

She was sat under a tree, leaning against the trunk with her arms folded, clothed back in her red and black Akatsuki cloak, forehead protector absent and hair long and unruly. It was pitch black out, the only light coming from the steadily smouldering campfire in front of her, the ashes crumbling underneath. The sounds of the night creatures perforated the cool forest air and reminded Kana of many things that were totally unrelated to her situation.  
What was going on here? She was supposed to be in the gedo statue's cave, having her chakra drained, _dying… _and yet she was here, like the old days. That person to whom she had reached out to was gone. Maybe she shouldn't have followed them here. It felt so odd…

She inspected her skin, which was completely free of cuts, bruises or scars, soft and pale, and the underneath of her fingernails was brown with dirt from her activities. It was then that she also became conscious that she was tiny. Very tiny. Her body was like that of a child's, the vision of her eight-year-old self.

The hum of the insects died, and she saw the silhouette again, very close.

"It's been a while, Kana," said a deep, reassuring tone.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she wiped them away hastily. "It's really you, Itachi?"

"I never thought we'd meet here, in this place."

"Where's 'this place'?"

"We're in the afterlife." He sighed. "You must have died, Kana."

"But the- this jutsu- right now-" she spluttered. "At the moment, Kabuto is casting the edo tensei using my chakra! How can I be here as well? How could I have made it to the afterlife without actually being dead?"

"It would be a wasted effort to dwell on these things. Just sit with me, and we'll talk."

"For as long as possible?"

He moved out of the shadows, and his figure came to sit beside her. His face was worn and exhausted, as it usually had been, but there was a tiny trace of relief spread across. He wore no cloak, just the mail vest, black top and black trousers, with shinobi sandals, all battered up. This must have been what he was wearing when he died.  
Kana couldn't help but stare wordlessly at him, still in a dazed awe at his presence. Thoughts of how much she wanted to say to him whirred round her mind as she shuffled shyly closer in her miniature form.

"Itachi, Tobi told me everything about who I am. I'm an Uchiha, with the four tomoe sharingan, and your cousin," she said shakily. "Things have gotten really complicated since you left."

"You seem to have grown more mature, at least. Was it my passing?"

"Maybe…"

It was true that since Itachi had passed on, she had to assume responsibility for herself and learn how to work with others. Having endured so much pain, she had been forced to grow up faster.

"Tell me about what has happened in the Leaf. How have things been?"

Oh, so he wanted to talk about her life. Well then… "I… Pain, our leader, released the seal placed on my sharingan and forced me to destroy the village, and despite many ninjas still not trusting me, I… made some friends." She wringed her hands. "I went on a mission for the village. I ate food with the people there and trained with them… And I think there's someone I like, too."

One of his eyebrows arched and he smiled softly. "Oh, really now? It seems that things have progressed in my absence."

"Yeah. Kakashi's like my older brother in some ways, a teacher in others, and I'm friends with Naruto and Sakura. My best friend is Sai, and Hajime, too… well, I guess he's… never mind." She felt like laughing. "You seem really happy, Itachi."

"One can find a measure of peace in death. I feel comforted that Sasuke can be left to a friend as good as Naruto."

"I wanted to kill Sasuke at first, for making you suffer. I truly did. But I also realised how stupid that would be. You loved Sasuke. Why would I destroy that?"

He laughed shortly. "You really have matured."

"Shut up! I'm still me, right?"

"You are indeed."

"There's just so much I want to talk to you about. It's been so long since… since it happened. I just don't know what to think of the world anymore. Everything's mixed up. There's even going to be a war soon, with the whole world fighting."

"And you will have to participate, if that is the case. You cannot shy away from being a true shinobi because you have had some bad experiences in life. We, the Uchiha, are destined for lives of hardship, but the Uchihas who rise above their agony, and learn from it, are the ones who can be called true shinobi. If you wallow in sadness, then you will avoid getting any real work done and abandon those who care about you. Remember that."

"It's been so long… since I've heard something like that."

The tears welled up in her eyes.

A light surrounded Itachi, a strange blue light.

"Am I being summoned back to life?"

Her heart missed a beat. "No! No!" she growled.

They both stood up and Kana grabbed onto his arm. Her chakra was being used to summon Itachi back from the afterlife! This meant that she definitely hadn't died yet. But it also meant that Itachi was being dragged back into that wretched world that made him suffer a hell beyond belief. This jutsu was truly cruel…

Then, the light enveloped them both, and she felt herself being hauled tooth and nail into the world of the living, still clutching onto her mentor's arm.


End file.
